Morocco's King Mohammed VI formally appointed on Friday the members of his country's new government, led for the first time in its history by a woman prime minister, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri.

Her centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) came out on top in September elections, and has entered into a coalition with the right-wing Istiqlal party and two smaller left-wing parties. Together they hold 210 of the parliament's 395 seats.

Thirteen out of 31 ministers from the previous government were retained in the incoming cabinet, including Nasser Bourita as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Abdelouafi Laftit as Minister of the Interior.

PAM newcomer Fouzi Lekjaa -- a budget minister in the outgoing government better known as the head of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation -- has been promoted to economy minister.

The new government also includes seven women, counting the prime minister, as did the previous one.

Following her royal audience on Friday, Mansouri touted an "ambitious government programme that can meet citizens' expectations".

September's vote, which saw the lowest turnout in nearly 20 years, was marked by concerns about the cost of living, employment and inequality.

The incoming government will have to address those concerns while also preparing for the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted with Spain and Portugal.

Israeli settlers on Friday attacked an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post while she was covering violence against Palestinian olive farmers in the occupied West Bank.

Heidi Levine, a veteran photographer, was taken to hospital in Ramallah following the attack, with photos showing her lying on a gurney with injuries to her leg and hand.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days ahead of elections in which he is seeking settlers' support, insisted the circumstances behind the incident were unclear, in contrast with the full-throated condemnation offered by his chief rival.

The attack comes 10 days after settlers beat an AFP photographer covering the West Bank olive harvest, Jaafar Ashtiyeh, leaving him also requiring hospital treatment.

Speaking to journalists from her hospital bed, Levine said that "more than 50" masked settlers holding sticks suddenly attacked her while she was working near the Palestinian villages of Abu Falah and Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank.

"All of a sudden they jumped me and I luckily had my helmet and flak jacket on and I... kept my face to the ground to try to protect my face," she said.

"They just kept kicking me and kicking me," she added.

After receiving initial care in Ramallah, Levine was transferred to Israel's Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where doctors found she had suffered four broken vertebrae and would need surgery.

The Washington Post said Levine had been wearing a flak jacket clearly marked "Press".

"We are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities," Matt Murray, the paper's executive editor, said in a statement.

'No mercy'

Netanyahu's office said Levine had been "allegedly assaulted", adding that the circumstances were "unclear and are under investigation".

"Those responsible will be held accountable," it said in an X post, giving a version of events in which "some 200 Arabs and far-left activists confronted approximately 40 Israeli youths", with both sides throwing objects at the other.

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main rival in the upcoming polls, blamed Friday's "unacceptable" attack on a "handful of rioters" whose actions, he said, "stain an entire nation".

A US State Department official said it condemned "criminal violence by any party in the West Bank" and called for "legal accountability for those responsible".

The official added the department had "reached out to the Washington Post to offer consular assistance".

AFP news agency reported that a journalist working for the agency reported witnessing Palestinian medics tending to someone in the area and Israeli soldiers pushing away journalists trying to approach.

The Israeli military said troops and border police forces were deployed to the area "following a report of a violent confrontation".

"A female journalist had been injured during the confrontation," it said, adding the circumstances would be examined.

"Attacks and violence against innocent civilians are grave and unacceptable acts," the military said.

The Israeli police said it had opened an investigation into incidents in Abu Falah and Turmus Ayya.

"We were on our land, picking olives, and suddenly the settlers came down on us and started hitting us, throwing stones," said Mukhlis Zuhdi, a farmer from Abu Falah.

"There was even a foreign journalist whom they beat. These people have no mercy or compassion in their hearts," he told AFP.

'Brazen violence'

The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said the settlers stole Levine's passport, phone, wallet and equipment.

"This is the latest in a long line of violent attacks by Israeli settlers against journalists and other civilians in the occupied West Bank," it said.

Reporters Without Borders said it strongly condemned the attack and called on Israeli authorities to "put an end to this impunity and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous assault".

"This brazen violence... is evidence of the impunity with which extremist Jewish settlers operate, often under the protection of Israeli armed forces," added the advocacy group, known by its French initials RSF.

Violence has flared in recent months in the West Bank, with near-daily attacks, thefts or vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

Excluding east Jerusalem, around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, alongside more than 500,000 Israelis residing in settlements considered illegal under international law.

On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Ministry summoned Colombia’s chargé d’affaires in Cairo to express its objection to the opening of the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, a ministerial source told the official news agency MENA. Egypt described the relocation of the diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv as a unilateral and unacceptable move.

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Bogotá March Rejects Colombia-Israel Ties Under De la Espriella

During the meeting, Cairo conveyed a strong protest and categorical rejection of the relocation of the Colombian diplomatic mission to Jerusalem. According to the source, Egypt stated that the decision contradicts the established legal and historical status of the city.

The Egyptian Ministry warned that such irresponsible actions would have negative repercussions for international efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that they would only serve to fuel tensions in the region.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to respect the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem and urged that all parties refrain from unilateral measures that could undermine the prospects for peace based on a two-state solution.

A Palestinian source indicated to EFE that the summons was in response to a resolution adopted last week by the Arab League Council. The resolution urged member states of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to summon the Colombian ambassadors accredited to their respective governments.

“Colombia está con nosotros”. Las palabras de nuestro primer ministro @netanyahu en la recepción organizada por el @IsraelMFA por la inauguración de la Embajada de Colombia en Jerusalén 🇮🇱🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/9znJgegzu5

— Israel en Colombia (@IsraelinCol) October 14, 2026

The text reads, ““Colombia is with us.” The words of our prime minister @netanyahu at the reception organized by @IsraelMFA for the inauguration of the Embassy of Colombia in Jerusalem”

The objective is to lodge a formal protest against what Arab nations describe as an illegal decision by Colombia, as well as to assess the impact of this move on bilateral relations with Bogotá.

On Friday, the foreign ministers of 19 Arab and Islamic nations—including Egypt—issued a joint statement strongly condemning the opening of the Colombian diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. The opening of the embassy followed the rise to power of Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella, who announced in July that the diplomatic mission would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This move is part of the restoration of diplomatic relations with Israel, which had been severed by the previous president, Gustavo Petro.

According to the UN and the majority of the international community, East Jerusalem is Palestinian territory that has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel annexed it in 1980 through a law declaring it its “eternal and indivisible” capital—a decision that the UN Security Council deemed a violation of international law.

The controversy centers on the impact of this diplomatic relocation on the status of Jerusalem, the rights of the Palestinian people, and the prospects for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella signed Decree 1525, a measure that facilitates police repression by broadening the definition of “violence” during popular protests.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara warned that the new regulation will take effect before demonstrations… pic.twitter.com/YYfouyRGyt

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 14, 2026

The Syrian government has accused Israel of exploiting the Druze community in the southern province of Suweida for political and electoral purposes, and of arming a militia in the area.

In a statement on Thursday evening carried by Syria’s state-run news agency, a government source said the Druze community in Suweida "has been and will remain an integral part of the national fabric of the Syrian Arab Republic," rejecting what it described as attempts to draw the community into Israeli political campaigning.

The statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had spoken by phone with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the violence in Suweida in July 2025.

Addressing an election campaign gathering of Druze citizens in the northern Israeli town of Yarka, Netanyahu described the call as "short and very sharp" and claimed he had helped stop a massacre.

"We took down the Ministry of Defense [headquarters] in Damascus, just like that, it’s gone. We struck inside the [Presidential] Palace compound, and I made a phone call to Sharaa. It was a very brief, very sharp conversation, and the massacre stopped," Netanyahu said.

Damascus has neither confirmed nor denied that the call took place.

The Syrian government source said Israel had played a "major and deliberate role" in undermining civil peace in Suweida in July 2025, accusing it of arming an outlawed militia to foment unrest and create a pretext for drawing Syria into a wider war. The source also said the government had thwarted those efforts and was monitoring what it described as continued Israeli attempts to destabilise the province.

The source said US mediation had led to a halt in Israeli airstrikes in July 2025, which it claimed had prevented the Syrian government from intervening to end the clashes between Druze and Bedouin groups.

It also said Damascus was continuing to work with the United States and Jordan to implement a joint roadmap for Suweida, aimed at reintegrating the province under a national framework that safeguards residents’ rights and promotes security and stability.

In September 2025, Syria, Jordan and the United States announced the roadmap, which included commitments to rebuild trust, promote community reconciliation, investigate violations and hold those responsible to account, as well as facilitate humanitarian aid and restore essential services. It remains unclear how far these commitments have been implemented.

A ceasefire has been in place in Suweida since July 2025, following deadly clashes that began between Bedouin tribes and Druze groups before escalating with the intervention of government forces and tribal fighters who arrived in the province to support the Bedouin side.

The fighting involved grave human rights abuses against Druze civilians, including summary executions, according to reports documenting the violence.

A Syrian investigative committee said in March that 1,760 people from all sides had been killed and 2,188 injured. Other monitoring groups have reported higher death tolls.

Suweida remains largely outside central government control. Some factions aligned with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri have called for Israeli protection or closer ties with Israel, while other Druze religious figures, activists and armed groups have rejected Israeli intervention and called for the province to remain part of a unified Syria.

Israel currently occupies parts of southwestern Syria, which Israeli forces stormed in December 2024 following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Damascus has repeatedly called on Israel to withdraw from these territories and return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.

The Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights are also home to a Druze community. Israel has occupied the territory since 1967 and later annexed it, a move recognised by the United States and Colombia but rejected by most of the international community.

Syria is emerging from a brutal 14-year civil war, and the new government has struggled to reassert central authority across the country amid continuing security, social and economic challenges.

The Israeli settlement movement Nahala announced on Friday that it had attempted to establish a new settlement outpost near the fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip, naming it “Pioneers of Gaza”.

The move was intended to pressure the Israeli government into allowing settlements to be re-established inside the enclave. Israeli police intervened to disperse the settlers, while the Israeli military closed roads leading to the area and declared it a closed military zone to prevent them from returning or attempting to cross the border into Gaza.

In a post on X, the settler group said it had established the outpost overnight with the participation of more than 700 people, including bereaved families, wounded Israeli soldiers, rabbis, members of the Knesset and public figures. It added that participants had erected structures and laid basic infrastructure near the border fence, in an area opposite Gaza City, in preparation for moving the outpost into the Strip.

Nahala called on the Israeli government to immediately approve the transfer of the outpost to the buffer zone occupied by the Israeli military in northern Gaza, urging it not to yield to external pressure. The movement claimed that “Gaza is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel” and argued that taking control of territory and establishing settlements were the means to impose defeat on the Palestinians.

It also called for the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza, the repeal of the Disengagement Law and the encouragement of Palestinian emigration to be included among the core principles of the next Israeli government.

The movement said that Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, a member of Likud, had participated in the settlement activity overnight. In a video recording, he was seen saying: “One more step forward; we are getting closer and closer to the desired goal,” referring to the re-establishment of Israeli settlements inside the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the Hebrew-language news website Walla reported that Israeli police had dispersed settlers who attempted to establish the outpost in Simhoni Forest, located between the Israeli settlements of Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza and the border fence with Gaza. It added that the military had closed roads leading to the area and declared it a closed military zone, fearing that settlers might bypass the barriers, reach the border fence or cross into the Strip.

The website quoted Israeli military sources as saying that around 50 settlers had actually been present at the site, contradicting Nahala’s announcement that more than 700 people had participated in the operation. It explained that the settlers had erected structures in the area between Israeli communities and the border fence but had not entered the Gaza Strip during this attempt.

For its part, the Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Nahala had established the outpost as a first step towards moving settlers into the Strip. It noted that the organisers were demanding that the government adopt a decision permitting the establishment of settlement communities in Gaza. The Israeli government has not announced its approval of the outpost’s establishment or its transfer into the Strip.

This latest attempt is part of a series of initiatives led by the Nahala movement, whose prominent leaders include settler activist Daniella Weiss, to re-establish settlements in the Gaza Strip since the war began in 2023.

In January 2024, the movement organised a conference in Jerusalem in cooperation with other settlement groups, under the title “Victory Conference”. The event called for the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza and the northern West Bank and was attended by Israeli political figures, including 10 ministers from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and members of the governing coalition in the Knesset. Among them were National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

 

Israeli settler terrorists set three vehicles belonging to Palestinians alight early on Friday morning in the occupied West Bank, amid fierce attacks on farmers in their olive groves.

The settlers descended on the villages of Turmus Ayya, Abu Falah, and Deir Jarir early in the morning, with local sources stating that they also beat farmers during olive harvesting season.

Video footage circulating of the attack showed the cars completely engulfed in flames, with emergency services grappling to put out the fire between plumes of dark smoke.

One of the cars burned belonged to Palestinian civil defence teams, local media reported.

At least four people were also wounded in a settler attack on residents picking olives in the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah.

The Red Crescent Society confirmed its crews received four people who were wounded, who were later transported by the Deir Dibwan ambulance to the hospital.

It added that one of the victims was a 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man.

A photojournalist was also wounded in attacks by settlers in a raid on the village of Abu Fallah, northeast of Ramallah.

Settlers further burned olive trees while under the protection of Israeli forces, with the latter firing live ammunition and tear gas at Palestinians to force them away from their land.

A 70-year-old Palestinian man was among those attacked by settlers in the village of Burham, causing him fractures and injuries across his body.

The mayor of the village of Abwein, Mahmoud Dheeb Hamad, said that settlers attacked locals and farmers, seized their harvest and two cars, before vandalising the property of Palestinians and pushing them out of their land.

The string of violent attacks comes after settlers on Thursday evening stole a tractor from an area northwest of Nablus, belonging to a Palestinian man identified as Hossam Saif.

The Palestinian Authority’s Commission against the Wall and Settlements said earlier this week that it had documented at least 136 attacks since the start of the olive harvesting season, which commenced in October.

The commission noted that the attacks comprised of beatings, forced expulsions, intimidation, shooting, tear gas, arrests, and the stealing of harvests and equipment.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, Israeli settlers and forces have ramped up their attacks targeting Palestinians and their property.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also said in September that over 1,600 settler attacks had been recorded from the start of this year until 14 September, with at least 275 Palestinian communities affected.

The United States is stepping up pressure on Lebanon to repeal or amend laws criminalising contact with Israel, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio raising the issue directly with President Joseph Aoun.

Rubio discussed Lebanon's 1955 Boycott of Israel law during a phone call with Aoun on Thursday, according to a statement from the US embassy in Beirut.

He described the legislation as "impractical" and said it was being used in politically motivated prosecutions that obstructed efforts towards peace.

Rubio also urged Lebanon and Israel to establish direct military-to-military communication to reduce the risk of clashes and help implement a US-backed framework agreement between the two countries.

The renewed pressure follows controversy over a legal complaint against Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad.

The complaint was filed after Lebanese and Israeli media reported that Moawad had contacted Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter following an attack in the occupied West Bank in which his son was injured.

Moawad did not publicly confirm or deny the reports.

The complaint was referred to Lebanon's military judiciary, prompting a strong response from Washington.

The State Department said it was "shameful" for a military court to consider a complaint against an ambassador "simply for implementing her legitimate government's policy and participating in US-led negotiations".

Judge Claude Ghanem, the government commissioner at the Military Court, closed the case on Wednesday after finding insufficient evidence that Moawad had violated Lebanon's boycott legislation.

President Aoun also defended the ambassador, saying the alleged contact had not taken place.

"If the aim of those doing this is to target the path we have taken to end the state of war and save Lebanon, then they are committing a crime against the country," he said.

The case has nevertheless brought Lebanon's anti-normalisation legislation back to the centre of political debate.

The 1955 Boycott of Israel law prohibits Lebanese individuals and companies from entering into agreements or transactions with Israeli entities or people based in Israel.

Lebanon's Penal Code also criminalises certain forms of contact with an enemy state, with some offences classified as treason.

Although Lebanon and Israel remain formally in a state of hostility, they began direct US-mediated negotiations in April and signed a framework agreement in Washington on 26 June.

US officials now argue that Lebanon's existing laws are incompatible with that diplomatic process.

Sources told The New Arab that US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa has been pressing Lebanese political figures, particularly MPs opposed to Hezbollah, to support changes to the legislation.

Washington reportedly sees repeal or amendment of the laws as part of a broader package of demands on Beirut.

These include accelerating efforts to disarm Hezbollah, reforming the Military Court and implementing financial, monetary and political reforms.

US officials have also expressed frustration at what they see as slow implementation by the Lebanese government.

The pressure comes as Lebanon and Israel prepare for another round of US-sponsored negotiations, expected to take place in Florida later this month.

The legal debate has grown as direct contact between Lebanese and Israeli officials becomes increasingly routine under US mediation.

Some Lebanese legal experts argue that the existing framework has effectively become harder to enforce as official negotiations expand.

Lebanese media outlets have also increasingly interviewed Israeli officials and journalists, while contacts once considered politically or legally taboo have become more common.

Washington's latest intervention is likely to intensify a wider domestic debate over whether Lebanon can continue formal negotiations with Israel while retaining legislation that criminalises many forms of contact with it.

A series of statements by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has raised questions over whether the former military general will step down when his current term ends in 2030.

Speaking at the 44th Armed Forces Educational Symposium on Wednesday, Sisi reaffirmed that Egypt's constitution would remain protected and unchanged, remarks that were welcomed by supporters but also drew scepticism.

The president said the constitution would remain untouched, and warned against attempts to incite unrest in Egypt.

“There is a constitution for this state, there is a constitution that we approved for this state, no one will touch it … no one will touch it," Sisi reiterated.

The remarks have sparked debate in Egypt, with some interpreting them as a sign that he does not plan to pursue constitutional changes that would allow him to remain in power for longer.

Here, The New Arab takes a closer look at what the constitution states and what his comments could be hinting at. 

What does the constitution say?

Egypt's 2014 constitution, prior to being amended in 2019, stipulated in Article 140 that the country's president is elected to serve a four-year term, with the possibility of re-election only once.

In 2019, an amendment that maintained the two-term limit but extended each term to six years forwarded by a pro-government bloc, was approved by parliament.

The amendment was later approved in a public referendum which saw 88.8 percent of voters vote in favour and 11.1 percent against, with a turnout of 44 percent.

Rights groups and monitors warned at the time that the moves would entrench repression in Egypt, with reports of intimidation of referendum voters and journalists, arrests of opponents of the amendments, and vote buying by state-aligned entities.

Why is Sisi making these statements now?

Sisi's latest statements come amid calls from supporters for him to extend his rule over the country, including the launch of an online petition calling for the president to stay in his post until 2050.

This, however, has prompted widespread backlash, as many have decried it as undemocratic and have cited Sisi's crackdown on dissent. 

Saeed Sadek, a professor of political sociology, told The New Arab that the president's statements appear to be aimed at closing the door to speculation about his political future. 

The comments also come at a time when Egypt is facing several challenges, particularly from upheaval in the region and a sustained domestic economic crisis.

Sadek added, however, that the statement raises the political cost of any attempt to amend the constitution in the near future, though it does not completely shut the door to changes.

The constitution, he highlighted, contains mechanisms for amendments which can be activated with the necessary political will and backing of parliament.

Sadek notes that Sisi had made similar statements prior to the 2019 amendments.

What has been the response?

While Sisi did not explicitly say he would step down or rule out standing for re-election in 2030, his words have sparked some optimism for many.

Hamdeen Sabahi, Karama Party founder and former presidential candidate who stood against Sisi in 2014, described the president's comments as the "best of words", and expressed his hope that they would be followed up by the "best of actions".

In statements to the press, Sabahi expressed hope that Sisi would hand over power in 2030, paving the way for a new era in Egypt.

Amr Hashem Rabie, an expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, also told The New Arab that Sisi's statements indicate that Egypt is heading towards the election of a new president in 2030, unless unforeseen circumstances alter this course.

He added that some political parties, such as Nation's Future Party, Homeland Protectors, and the National Front Party, might push for street rallies to demand the president's continued rule, in addition to the role of some media figures who might promote the idea that there is no viable alternative to the president.

Sisi's remarks were also welcomed by Justice Party leader Abdel Moneim Imam, who similarly expressed hope for a peaceful transfer of power.

Egypt's Civil Democratic Movement was among those who welcomed the remarks, though cautioned that the constitution should not be subject to amendment according to circumstances or individuals.

Many Arabic-language reports from outside of Egypt have further expressed skepticism about the president's remarks, given that he holds such a tight grip on the state's institutions.

Sisi took power after removing Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamad Morsi, in 2013, and has led a crackdown on dissent within Egypt. By 2030, the former military general would have served as Egypt's president for 16 years.

The Trump administration is backing efforts to form a broad Israeli unity government after this month's election that could keep Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister for up to two years before handing power to opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, according to an Israeli media report.

The proposal would exclude far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and bring together Netanyahu's Likud party with Eisenkot's Yashar party, Israel Hayom reported on Friday.

The newspaper cited unnamed US and foreign political officials familiar with the discussions. Neither Washington nor the Israeli parties involved have publicly confirmed an agreed plan.

Israel is due to hold a Knesset election on 27 October.

Polls have suggested neither Netanyahu's right-wing bloc nor the fragmented opposition is guaranteed a stable governing majority, raising the possibility of prolonged coalition negotiations.

According to Israel Hayom, the US and regional governments believe a broad coalition would be better placed to make major decisions on ending regional conflicts and advancing President Donald Trump's wider Middle East agenda.

One unnamed foreign official quoted in the report said a fragile minority government would be unable to make the "major and decisive political decisions" the region required.

The proposed arrangement would allow Netanyahu to remain prime minister for up to two years before Eisenkot succeeded him, according to the report.

During that period, the government would be expected to work towards ending wars on multiple fronts and reaching political agreements with regional states, particularly Saudi Arabia.

The Trump administration has been pushing Riyadh to join the Abraham Accords and normalise relations with Israel.

Washington has linked that effort to other parts of the US-Saudi relationship, including F-35 fighter jets and a civilian nuclear programme.

Saudi officials have repeatedly said, however, that normalisation with Israel would require meaningful progress towards Palestinian statehood.

The issue has also become entangled with Washington's proposed nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, which Trump has said would depend on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords.

According to Israel Hayom, Saudi Arabia is also seeking a different political configuration in Israel before moving forward.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has recently met several senior Israeli politicians, including Eisenkot, the report said.

The contacts were said to have been handled carefully because of concerns over perceptions of US interference in the election.

But Israeli politicians were reportedly told that Washington and other governments would welcome a broad and stable coalition without far-right parties.

Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief, has emerged as one of Netanyahu's principal challengers in the election and leads the centrist Yashar party.

The proposed government would also seek to address domestic issues that have deeply divided Israeli politics.

These include demands for an official inquiry into the failures surrounding the 7 October 2023 attacks, disputes over the judiciary and the continuing row over exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has denied reports that he is directly involved in efforts to engineer a unity government.

He has nevertheless said he wants to avoid repeated elections and see a stable government formed after the vote.

The reported US effort comes as Israel's election remains highly fragmented, with Palestinian parties potentially playing a decisive role if neither major bloc secures a governing majority.

Iran will retaliate against any US threats to its energy infrastructure, Acting Oil Minister Hamid Bovard has warned.

Bovard said Tehran would respond to threats against its energy facilities with “precise, appropriate retaliatory measures at the right time”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on the international community “to pay more serious attention to the environmental impacts of military conflicts”, warning that future generations would bear the consequences.

This comes as President Donald Trump said the US may have to target Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran's nuclear program, as he aims to ensure Tehran does not get a nuclear weapon.

In an interview with Newsmax on Thursday night, Trump also said he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war on Iran, which began in February with US-Israeli strikes.

Separately, Iran’s navy reported that an oil tanker had caught fire in the Sea of Oman after allegedly switching off its tracking systems and attempting to enter a restricted area.

The navy described the vessel as a “violating tanker” but did not provide further details about the cause of the fire.

 

New images of Dune: Part Three were released this week, including images and plot details, with one particular scene triggering a widespread response, some humorous and others critical.

The image that sparked the response included Timothee Chalamet as a shaved-headed Emperor, Paul Atreides, seated on a jade throne next to a fully covered Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays the sister to Chalamet's character, Alia.

The photos were released by Empire’s December 2026 issue, with Dune: Part Three set to release in cinemas and IMAX on 18 December.

The third part of the film is set 17 years after Part Two and is highly anticipated, continuing the sci-fi epic story about the rise and fall of an empire.

Taylor-Joy’s attire in the images prompted many people to take to social media to express how her clothing had a striking resemblance to the Jilbaab, modest wear worn by some Muslim women around the world, particularly during prayer.

Some joked about the images, with one person writing: “Dune after the 1979 Islamic Revolution”.

Dune after the 1979 Islamic Revolution

— kev joon (@never_oppressed) October 15, 2026

Others rebuked the casting of the film, writing on X: “Hollywood would rather die than cast actors of Arab or north African origin”.

“People arguing whether hijabis deserved to breathe air and then here comes white people's orientalist fantasy movie with the actress in full hajj clothes you cannot make this up,” another said.

“Orientalism 101: Arab and Islamic aesthetics without Islam or Arabs,” one social media user commented.

The latest reaction is not the first time Taylor-Joy’s Dune wardrobe has sparked jokes online. In February 2024, her outfit for the Dune: Part Two premiere in London—a flowing white gown that covered her from head to toe—drew a very different kind of reaction.

Several Muslim fans pointed out that while the actor was being praised by the mainstream media for her unique look, the very same modest styles worn by Muslim women—hijabs, niqabs and burqas—are often met with suspicion or worse.

Dune: Part Three was filmed in various locations around the world, including Wadi Rum in Jordan and the Liwa Desert in Abu Dhabi.

The Dune novels, which the current movies are adapting, is notorious for its usage of Arab and Islamic imagery and philosophy in the story. 

The Dune film features Islamic imagery as well as onlookers, given the name of Fremen, who wear face coverings and speak in a language similar to Arabic, but have caused some backlash over accusations of appropriating Islamic and Arab culture with no real inclusion.

Experts said this was an example of erasure and Orientalism, noting that having no Arabs in a prominent role in the film meant that the cast, it’s director and producers were profiting of Middle Eastern culture.

Nadeine Asbali, author of "Veiled Threat: On Being Visibly Muslim in Britain", previously argued that the problem with Dune goes beyond its representation of Muslims.

“It is symptomatic of a wider problem in the film industry, which primes the public to dehumanise Arabs and Muslims to the end aim of legitimising our slaughter. If every other blockbuster film centres around a backwards Arab being modernised by an altruistic white guy or bombed into liberation by a Western state, then we normalise that happening in real life - which, incidentally, it already is,” she wrote in an editorial article for The New Arab.

Over 6,500 detainees held by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in West Darfur are facing major food shortages and dire conditions, The Sudanese Doctor’s Network warned on Thursday.

The detainees are being held in El Geneina, an area that has witnessed horrors amid the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF which started in April 2023. Clashes in the area have killed over 10,000 people, mostly from the Masalit population, while mass graves have also been found in the region.

In a statement, the medical network said the information it had was based on details from reliable sources, who indicated that the detainees are being held in several detention centres.

It specified that there are 709 women and approximately 500 children under the age of 18 in the detention facilities.

The network has previously raised the alarm over the welfare of civilian detainees across Sudan, and reiterated its concerns over the food shortages and worsening health conditions in detention centres on Thursday.

It noted that there was a rising death toll in detention centres, as well as many cases of serious health and humanitarian issues threatening the lives of thousands.

The Sudanese Doctor’s Network issued an urgent call for an investigation to be carried out into the causes of the poor conditions and for international groups to ensure they receive adequate medical care and food.

It further pushed for humanitarian organisations to be granted access to the detention centres and for transparency regarding the safety and whereabouts of the detainees, which comes amid reports of torture and ill-treatment of thousands of them.

Sudanese authorities and human rights organisations estimate that the RSF are holding around 19,800 people in their prisons, including military personnel, civilians, women and children under the age of 18.

Last month, the RSF stepped up its deadly drone attacks in government-held towns in the frontline state of North Kordofan.

Reports state that drone attacks have become the weapon of choice increasingly when it comes to the conflict in Sudan. The UN also said last month that drone attacks by both sides killed more than 1,000 civilians in the first half of this year.

Tensions are rising between Egypt and Sudan—at the pubic level at least for now—after the Egyptian army bombed sites mined by hundreds of Sudanese for gold on 11 October, killing dozens of miners and wounding others.

Over 70 Sudanese artisanal miners were killed in the strikes, according to eyewitnesses who were present at the site at the time of the Egyptian strikes.

Videos filmed during and after the Egyptian aerial attacks showed the bodies of the dead victims spread out in the area as smoke billowed in the background.

Having affirmed that the strikes were carried out on the Egyptian side of the border, the Egyptian army said they were part of its campaign against "illicit mining" activities in the area.

It added in a statement on 12 October that warning leaflets were dropped to people in the area to caution against illicit mining for gold.

The strikes were the second by the Egyptian army on the Egyptian side of the border with Sudan in less than five months.

In mid-June, army fighter aircraft bombed mining sites in the border area, killing around 23 Sudanese artisanal miners. Law-enforcement personnel and army troops also rounded up hundreds of miners.

Increasing mining activities, particularly gold, Egyptian military analysts said, are part of fallout from the civil war in Sudan which has caused chaos on the shared border with Egypt.

"Criminal gangs are stepping up their activities in the border area, using the Sudanese army's preoccupation with fighting inside Sudan," Gen. Nasr Salem, the former Egyptian reconnaissance commander, told The New Arab.

"This adds more pressure on the Egyptian Armed Forces which have to solely bear the responsibility of securing the border," he added.

In its 12 October statement about the strikes, the Egyptian army said law-enforcement personnel would continue to impose full sovereignty within Egypt's boundaries to protect its capabilities and national wealth.

Public outrage

The strike triggered a wave of anger inside Sudan, raising questions about its possible effects on relations between Cairo and Khartoum in the near future.

Reaction from the Sudanese in the immediate aftermath of the attacks was mainly confined to social media, but it then seeped into the streets.

On 12 October, a Sudanese gunman opened fire on Egyptian truck drivers south of Khartoum, killing two and leaving a third injured.

A day later, protests were reported in a number of Sudanese cities, especially in Nyala, the capital of the state of Southern Darfur in south-western Sudan.

Photos circulating on social media showed the demonstrators carrying the Sudanese flag and placards criticising alleged silence by Sudan's ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC).

Most of the anger on the Sudanese side was driven by belief that the strikes were carried out on the Sudanese, not the Egyptian, side of the border.

This was why some people called on the STC to issue an official condemnation of the attacks and launch an enquiry into them.

Cairo moves to contain crisis

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it closely followed the killing of the two Egyptian truck drivers, describing the event as "sorrowful".

The Egyptian ambassador in Khartoum, who had just submitted his credentials to TSC Head Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan only a day earlier, had also checked on the condition of the wounded victim who was hospitalized at a hospital in the Sudanese capital.

The statement of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on the shootout came only a day after the Egyptian and Sudanese foreign ministers talked on the phone.

During the call, each of the two top diplomats expressed respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the other's country, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Concern over rising anti-Egypt sentiments in Sudan reverberated, meanwhile, quickly across Egyptian social media sites where users expressed support for actions taken by the Egyptian army to defend national borders against intrusions by Sudanese artisanal miners.

Egypt, analysts argue, has been solely bearing the brunt of securing its shared border with Sudan since the outbreak of the Sudanese civil war in April 2023.

Gen. Salem said illicit mining was only a small detail in the larger picture of a long list of other border infringements from the Sudanese side, including the smuggling of subsidized Egyptian goods into Sudan and the trafficking of Sudanese persons into Egypt.

The war has also caused around 1.5 million Sudanese to cross the border into Egypt for refuge, adding to the economically-struggling northern neighbouring country's economic strains.

RSF financial engine

The Transitional Sovereignty Council has mourned the death of the artisanal miners and ordered the formation of a panel to investigate the incident, in an apparent attempt to appease an angry Sudanese public.

However, most condemnation for the strikes came from the backers of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary militia battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control over Sudan.

This probably highlights links between the militia and rampant illicit mining activities and gold smuggling in the border area between Egypt and Sudan, Sudanese analysts said.

Sudanese political analyst Salah Khalil described gold mining and smuggling as major "financial lifelines" for the RSF.

"The militia uses revenues from mining and smuggling operations to bankroll its military activities and war against the SAF," Kalil told TNA.

He added that the paramilitary group also uses the same revenues in the purchase of arms from other countries.

Nyala is known to be a stronghold of the RSF. On the same day of the Egyptian airstrikes against Sudanese artisanal miners, the Sudan Founding Alliance, an organization established by the RSF in February 2025, claimed that the Egyptian strikes were staged in North Al-Wadi, a mountainous gold-mining region in the far northeast of Sudan's Red Sea State.

It slammed Egypt for allegedly violating Sudanese sovereignty and accused it of wanting to wrest Sudan's resources.

According to international investigative organization Global Witness in 2019, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) has used front companies and banks based in Sudan and the United Arab Emirates to capture a large part of Sudan's gold industry.

Beyond gold

Several Egyptian and Sudanese analysts link the war in Sudan to a larger struggle redrawing the regional map and control over vital maritime chokepoints and ports.

The crackdown on gold mining and smuggling would deal a painful blow to the RSF and consequently attempts by the militia's regional backers to defeat the SAF and control Sudan, Sudanese analysts said.

Nevertheless, the same measure would be far from enough to defeat the militia once and for all, they added.

Khalil called for parallel measures to gradually weaken the militia, including cutting off support from Sudan's neighbouring countries, especially Libya, Chad and Ethiopia.

"Severing these lifelines will leave the militia high and dry and contribute to its defeat over time," he said.

Welcome,

Here are the updates of the day:

• Overnight in the region, US president Donald Trump said he "would not use" nuclear weapons against Iran and did not see "putting US troops on the ground"
   
• Fighting in Yemen rages, with focus around Taiz and hits on Sanaa and Aden. Yemen's government reported that the prime minister and cabinet survived a Houthi missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden, but at least five were killed and 16 wounded according to Yemen’s health minister
   
• Israeli attacks continue on Gaza, occupied West Bank, southern Lebanon and south Syria

And so we begin our live coverage....

A failure by the United States and Iran to agree within weeks on a UN-backed plan for moving fertiliser through the Strait of Hormuz could cause a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa, an official overseeing the proposed scheme said on Wednesday.

The United Nations set up a taskforce in March to facilitate passage of fertilisers through the strait. It is yet to implement the mechanism it drew up, but United Nations Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva said this could be activated within 7-10 days of an agreement between Washington and Tehran.

"It's absolutely crucial to get the deal in the next few weeks. Otherwise, we will miss the planting season," he said in an interview in Bangkok, on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings.

In response to questions from Reuters, a US State Department spokesman said the US military has assisted thousands of commercial vessels with transiting the strait.

"The United States will continue to take decisive action against Iran's attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and hold the global economy hostage," he said.

The White House and Iran's Embassy in Bangkok did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Iran has sought to tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz since US and Israeli strikes on 28 February, using the chokepoint to pressure Washington, which has been pressing its own naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Before the war, the waterway handled roughly a third of globally traded urea - the world's most widely used fertiliser - and nearly half of seaborne sulphur, a key input. It is also a major conduit for global oil supplies.

Fertiliser shipments out of the Gulf region remained largely halted more than six months after the start of the conflict, the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute said in a note last month. Fertiliser products accounted for a "very negligible" share of the resumption of some shipping during a ceasefire between mid-June and mid-July, it said.

Five vessels a day

If the Hormuz disruption continues, commodity prices could rise by up to 81% for cereals, 66% for oil crops and 30% for animal products, according to an August report by the International Chamber of Commerce.

"If we miss that planting season, the productivity of agriculture would significantly drop and the impact on prices will significantly increase," said Moreira da Silva, who is also the executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services.

The proposed operation would use a coordination centre in Oman to register vessels and coordinate safe passage, with UN monitors working alongside local authorities at Gulf ports to verify cargo loading.

The passage of only five vessels per day through Hormuz could keep fertiliser supplies flowing to countries in critical need, Moreira da Silva said.

Ships would be tracked during transit, and additional inspections could be carried out if countries raised concerns about a vessel or its cargo, he added.

Multiple shipping chokepoints

Iran and the United States have exchanged proposals through intermediaries since a June interim ceasefire collapsed, but efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have stalled over Tehran's conditions and Washington's insistence on addressing Iran's nuclear programme from the outset.

The proposed UN mechanism could operate alongside negotiations on a comprehensive deal aimed at securing lasting peace and freedom of navigation, Moreira da Silva said.

"What we are telling them is, while you continue your discussions towards a comprehensive deal, let us work, let us do our job," he said, declining to specify the exact bottlenecks to a deal as discussions continue with both sides.

Beyond the Hormuz crisis, a deteriorating situation in the Black Sea region, where cargo vessels have come under attack, and an offensive by Iran-backed Houthi militants along a key Red Sea shipping route are compounding the threat to global food security.

"What we are witnessing now is a concentration of factors," Moreira da Silva said. "Climate crisis, simultaneous disruption of maritime chokepoints on the Black Sea, on the Red Sea and on Hormuz."

(Reuters)