Middle East Eye

Israeli football fans chant ‘fuck you Palestine’ in Vienna Supporters of Israeli football team Jerusalem Beitar marched through Vienna ahead of a game on Thursday, repeatedly chanting ‘fuck you Palestine’ as they passed by a pro-Palestine protest.  Several incidents of racist and violent behaviour were reported as the fans made their way to the game, with one instance where they violently attacked a person.

Iran attributes instability of Hormuz Strait to US and Israel During a press conference Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, remarked how the current state of instability in the Strait of Hormuz has entirely been caused by the US-Israeli aggression against Iran. "We all know that the Strait of Hormuz had no problems up to 28 February 2026, and it was open," he said. He added that "the United States continues to speak with pride about implementing a naval blockade against Iran," despite it being an "admission of an aggressive act against Iran."

"The Iran war may be fought primarily remotely via the air, but its strategic outcome is increasingly being decided at sea. The latest strikes and counterstrikes have clarified rather than altered that central fact. Washington may escalate through a ground intervention, wider attacks on Iran’s critical infrastructure, or a strike against the deeply buried nuclear-linked complex at Pickaxe Mountain in Isfahan province. Each option could inflict further damage and expand the war. None, however, is likely to eliminate Iran’s distributed maritime architecture or make the Strait of Hormuz strategically irrelevant. Ukraine has shown the entire world that a fleet can be beaten without a fleet. Iran has shown that a navy can destroy a superpower’s strategic objectives and shape diplomacy without winning a single naval battle." ✍️ Opinion by Omar Ashour 🔗 https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/how-iran-and-ukraine-are-strategically-sinking-their-rivals-sea

Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary opens cafe in Gaza City Hind Khoudary, a Palestinian journalist known for her coverage of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza for Aljazeera, has opened a beachside cafe in Gaza City. 'On the beach' opened to the public a week ago, to "provide even a small service" to Palestinians suffering intense heat, Israeli strikes, and limited food and aid supplies to the besieged enclave, said Khoudary. "I missed seeing Gaza the way I used to love seeing it," she added, hoping the space would provide a sense of relief after over two years of genocide.

🗞️ "Nearly three years after the 7 October Hamas attack shattered the illusion of a manageable status quo - one serving US-Israeli interests, while harming Palestinian rights - and midway through President Donald Trump’s second term, the Middle East no longer maps neatly onto the two axes that have defined it for decades. The region’s fault line long ran between Iran’s 'Axis of Resistance' - comprising Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iraqi armed groups, and a battered but defiant Syria under the Assad regime - and the Israeli-inspired 'Pax Americana': an informal architecture of deterrence, normalisation, and military primacy that Washington and Tel Aviv sought to impose through the Abraham Accords, blatant double standards, international law violations and overwhelming force" ✍️ Marco Carnelos 🔗 Click the link to read the full column https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/how-pragmatic-axis-could-reshape-middle-east

Israeli army demolish houses in southern Lebanon Footage shows the Israeli army demolishing houses in the village of Meiss El Jabal in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military killed two people and injured nine in an attack on Deir ez-Zahrani. Earlier, Israeli warplanes killed seven people in a strike on a house in the village of Ansar, also in southern Lebanon.

📰 Five years after the Taliban’s return to power on 15 August 2021, Afghanistan has transformed from a chaotic battlefield into a functioning but deeply authoritarian state. Foreign troops are gone, and fragmented opponents have failed to mount a significant challenge to Kabul’s centralised control. The movement has established a degree of internal security unimaginable under the previous government. However, this stability rests on systematic exclusion, most notably of women, leaving the nation economically fragile and politically isolated. While the Taliban have proven they can govern without western support, they remain an international pariah managing a historic humanitarian crisis. Afghanistan today is quieter than before 2021, but it is also poorer, more isolated, and severely repressive towards half its population 🔗 Click the link to read more https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/five-years-taliban-rule-state-has-survived-what-cost

Palestinian families endure months of settler attacks in West Bank Residents of the West Bank village of Qusra say months of settler attacks have left them living in fear, with one resident saying he has surrounded his home with bars and fences, effectively turning it into a prison to protect his family. Qusra’s mayor says the Israeli army has turned one Palestinian home into a military zone and is “buying time” for Israeli settlers, as several families remain under siege and trapped in their homes.

Iran FM Araqchi says Hormuz reopening depends on conditions US must agree to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the United States must meet conditions on the Strait of Hormuz in order for shipping to resume in the waterway. In an interview with Iranian news outlet Shahrara News broadcast on Saturday, Araqchi said no decision has yet been made to resume negotiations with the United States. US President Donald Trump told a political rally in Garden City, New York, on Friday that he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, claiming that Iran was being heavily defeated. The strait handled one-fifth of the world's oil before war broke out between Iran and the United States and Israel in February.

📰 The US is set to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with the USS George Washington in the Middle East after reports of deteriorating conditions on the aircraft carrier enforcing a blockade of Iran. The Lincoln has been deployed in the Middle East for more than 250 days without a port call. At least one sailor jumped overboard the vessel, and another had to be restrained from doing so, according to media reports. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the Lincoln will be rotated out of the theatre of operations and replaced with the USS George Washington. US lawmakers have raised concerns about the physical and mental health of sailors on board. 🔗 Click the link to read more https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/morale-aboard-us-aircraft-carrier-enforcing-iran-blockade-plummets-sailor-jumping-overboard

American journalist says US TikTok ban was to suppress Gaza genocide American journalist Glenn Greenwald, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, stated that the United States' ban on TikTok was implemented to protect Israel and to block footage coming out of Gaza. He argued that viral videos were causing young Americans to turn against Israel and to question Washington’s foreign policy.

American journalist says US TikTok ban was to suppress Gaza genocide American journalist Glenn Greenwald, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, stated that the United States' ban on TikTok was implemented to protect Israel and to block footage coming out of Gaza. He argued that viral videos were causing young Americans to turn against Israel and to question Washington’s foreign policy.

American journalist says US TikTok ban was to suppress Gaza genocide American journalist Glenn Greenwald, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, stated that the United States' ban on TikTok was implemented to protect Israel and to block footage coming out of Gaza. He argued that viral videos were causing young Americans to turn against Israel and to question Washington’s foreign policy.

Former CEO says Oracle provided Israeli military 'profoundly scary technology' after 7 October “We have some really profoundly scary technology at Oracle, and we wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort.” A recently resurfaced video of former Oracle CEO Safra Catz has sparked outrage after she boasted about providing advanced technology to the Israeli military in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks. Catz said Oracle supplied the Israeli military with "profoundly scary technology," without providing much detail. She also recounted her visit to Kirya, the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, where she observed Oracle employees in "uniforms." She described witnessing them in that role as her "proudest moment."

Former CEO says Oracle provided Israeli military 'profoundly scary technology' after 7 October “We have some really profoundly scary technology at Oracle, and we wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort.” A recently resurfaced video of former Oracle CEO Safra Catz has sparked outrage after she boasted about providing advanced technology to the Israeli military in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks. Catz said Oracle supplied the Israeli military with "profoundly scary technology," without providing much detail. She also recounted her visit to Kirya, the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, where she observed Oracle employees in "uniforms." She described witnessing them in that role as her "proudest moment."

Israeli forces raid wedding hall in the occupied West Bank and assault people inside A video posted on social media shows Israeli forces raiding a wedding hall in the town of al-Eizariya, in the occupied West Bank, and assaulting people inside.