Israeli settlers launched attacks on Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank on Friday, targeting residents harvesting olives, injuring civilians and a foreign journalist, and setting fire to vehicles and olive trees. Local officials and the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported incidents in at least eight villages, with medical teams treating 14 injured people. In Abu Falah, settlers assaulted Palestinians accompanied by peace activists, while Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten and hospitalized. Israel’s military condemned the violence. Palestinian officials say at least four people have been killed, more than 100 injured and thousands of olive trees damaged since the harvest season began earlier this month.
Meanwhile, tensions are mounting in the Strait of Hormuz, where British maritime authorities reported 10 attacks on commercial vessels in the past week, including one that resulted in a ship sinking. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations warned that the actual number of incidents could be significantly higher because many vessels are no longer reporting attacks. Maritime security concerns have intensified following U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of an Iranian proposal to end the ongoing conflict and reopen the strategic shipping route, although indirect diplomatic negotiations continue.
In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for missile strikes targeting the presidential palace compound used by the internationally recognized government in Aden, killing at least five people and injuring more than a dozen others. Additional missiles struck near the headquarters of Saudi-backed coalition forces, causing damage. Saudi officials accused Iran of encouraging the escalation, but Tehran rejected the allegations, maintaining that the Houthis operate independently. Iranian officials also expressed willingness to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Yemen if requested.
Separately, Yemeni security authorities confirmed the detention of journalist Murad Mohammed Saeed and several others in Aden. Officials linked the arrests to concerns over the circulation of footage that could compromise security operations but did not disclose the charges or the total number of people detained.
