An attack by Saudi Arabia on a prison in northwestern Yemen killed nine detainees, a Houthi official on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) told the Saba news agency, which is affiliated with the Iran-backed group.

“Nine prisoners captured during recent events were killed last night when the Saudi enemy targeted a prison” in Al-Hazm, in Al-Jawf governorate, said Houthi official Abdelkader al-Murtada.

Israel vowed Sunday (August 16, 2026) it would hit Hezbollah again if threatened, as it identified what it described as a commander killed in strikes a day earlier that also left several children dead.

Israeli strikes on Saturday (August 16) killed 11 people in southern Lebanon, according to authorities, in the deadliest attacks since a deal was reached in June aimed at ending hostilities.

Israel said the strikes were a response to Hezbollah setting off explosive drones inside a so-called “security zone” in southern Lebanon, seriously injuring three Israeli troops including an officer.

“No score will be left unsettled in any arena. We’ll defend our soldiers and our civilians with full power,” Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.

The Israeli military identified one of those killed on Saturday (August 16) as Abu Hassan Alaa, saying he was a senior commander of Hezbollah’s Badr unit who had been involved in firing drones at Israeli troops.

Israel earlier said that the strike killed a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan.

The Israeli military acknowledged that Hassan’s family was present but defended the strike by saying they were not the target.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said a “whole family” had been killed in the strike in the village of Ansar, with Lebanon’s health ministry reporting that three children and two women died.

Imran Riza, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, condemned the strike.

“Children and civilians continue to pay an unacceptable price. International humanitarian law is clear: civilians must be protected at all times,” he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hezbollah of deliberately placing civilians in harm’s way.

Hezbollah denied the account, saying that “another entire family has been wiped out following orders issued by Mr. Netanyahu”.

“Netanyahu, who is the subject of proceedings before the International Criminal Court over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza, is once again presiding over the killing of Lebanese civilians,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the regional war in March by firing rockets at Israel in support of Iran, after U.S.-Israeli strikes there sparked war in late February.

Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-brokered deal in which Lebanon’s army will gradually take over security in southern areas occupied by Israel, but Hezbollah has refused to disarm.

The Israeli military accused Hezbollah of a “blatant violation of the ceasefire” in Lebanon on Wednesday (July 29, 2026), saying the Iran-backed militant group had fired a drone at an Israeli vehicle there.

The army said the incident took place in a strip of territory where Israeli forces are operating that runs around 10 kilometres deep inside southern Lebanon along its border with Israel.

“Overnight (Wednesday), Hezbollah launched an explosive drone toward an IDF engineering vehicle in the area of Ali al-Taher Ridge within the Security Zone,” the military said in a statement, calling the incident “a blatant violation of the ceasefire”.

It added that no injuries were reported among Israeli soldiers.

The military said its troops “continue to operate in the ridge area and will not allow terrorists in the area to advance or execute attacks against IDF soldiers”.

Under a U.S.-sponsored agreement signed last month, Lebanon’s army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from “pilot zones” where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy.

The deal came more than three months after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the wider West Asia war with rocket fire at Israel in support of Tehran on March 2, triggering major Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion.

While violence has declined since the signing of a preliminary U.S.-Iran deal last month and the Lebanon-Israel agreement, Lebanon continues to report intermittent Israeli strikes and artillery shelling on the south.

Lebanon’s army on Sunday (July 26, 2026) condemned ongoing Israeli military activities that it said were preventing its full deployment under the framework deal.

Hezbollah has not claimed any attacks since June 20.

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“We’ll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon, and there’s not a thing they can do about it,” U.S. President Donald Trump recently said about Pickaxe Mountain, a geological formation around 220 km south of Tehran.

The locals call it Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La. Recent satellite images showed a flurry of activity around the formation, including the movement of vehicles, and entrances to what appear to be tunnels. What is under the mountain is not clear, although Israeli intelligence seems to believe it houses a part of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Pickaxe Mountain is part of the Karkas Range, or Reshteh Kuh-e Karkas. It extends for more than 100 km in a northwest-southeast ‘diagonal’ between the cities of Kashan and Ardestan and is named for its highest summit, Mount Karkas, which rises to about 3.9 km above sea level in the midst of an arid plateau. The Range is part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt, and its mountains hold evidence of millions of years of volcanic activity and tectonic deformation. Specifically, the Urumieh-Dokhtar belt developed as the Neo-Tethyan Ocean subducted beneath the Iranian continental margin before Arabia finally collided with Eurasia, in the last 66 million years.

The tectonic activity generated large quantities of calc-alkaline magma and thick lava flows and the attendant accumulations of volcanic breccia and ash deposits. Thus, much of the bedrock exposed in the Karkas Range consists of volcanic rocks such as andesite and rhyolite together with pyroclastic deposits and younger sedimentary units.

A 2019 study led by Panthea Giahchi of the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSMEI) reported that the landforms of the Karkas massif were shaped by rock type and climate together. The range sports steep ridges, landslide deposits, rockfalls, and extensive alluvial sediments. Andesite rocks generally form dense and mechanically strong masses and rhyolite rocks often (though not always) host many fractures.

According to some regional GSMEI maps, the Range is also dissected by numerous faults, creating a structurally complex formation. This is why understanding how specific parts of the Range will respond to missile strikes and explosions is complicated.

Volcanic landscape

Within this craggy volcanic landscape sits Pickaxe Mountain, in the form of a ridge just south of Natanz. Despite its prominence, there appear to be no peer-reviewed geological studies of the mountain: most assessments in the public domain are based on geological maps and satellite data, and details extrapolated from what is known about the Karkas Range itself. GSMEI maps indicate that Pickaxe Mountain also consists of volcanic rocks such as andesite, rhyolite, dacite, and their associated pyroclastic units — and with variations in the lithology, density of fractures, faulting patterns, weathering, and groundwater intrusion together affecting its mechanical characteristics. Andesites, rhyolites, and volcanic tuffs transmit seismic and shock waves differently from one another. The fault zones also create planes of weakness that in turn influence the stress response of the adjacent rock mass.

Geological uncertainty is often pronounced in projects involving volcanic rocks. To excavate Pickaxe Mountain itself, local experts might have characterised the rock units, charted their fractures and faults, tested their mechanical properties in the lab, and only then planned the excavation.

But as much as volcanic rocks complicate an excavation, they could complicate a bombing as well. Intact andesite, dacite, rhyolite, and basalt often require more energy than many sedimentary rocks to fracture. And while natural fractures sound like flaws, they can scatter stress waves by splitting the energy up among many discontinuous formations.

In fact, Pickaxe Mountain may be a symbol of Iran’s geo-strategic riches. Its volcanic geology could make deep penetration more difficult. Any ground campaign would have to navigate a rugged landscape. And the surrounding maritime network has three major chokepoints — the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal — giving Iran and its allies outsized opportunities to disrupt maritime traffic.

Iran’s parliament has begun work on a bill on the Strait of Hormuz, the head of the security committee said on Tuesday (July 14, 2026), as fighting flared between Washington and Tehran over the strategic waterway.

“Last night, coinciding with the downing of U.S. drones, the ‘Strategic Action for the Security and Sustainable Progress of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf’ bill was formally introduced in Iran’s Parliament,” Ebrahim Azizi wrote on X.

West Asia war updates on July 14, 2026

“We remain steadfast in defending our red lines, particularly regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” he added. “This is the first step; subsequent measures are forthcoming.”

U.S.-Iran fighting reignited last week over disagreements on how the vital strait would be managed, throwing into question a framework deal signed last month seeking to end the West Asia war.

MEA summons Iranian deputy envoy, after Indian national killed in attack on ship

Tehran envisages itself as overseeing the strait and wishes to impose fees on transiting vessels — a demand Washington has strongly rejected.

President Donald Trump on Monday (July 13, 2026) said the United States was “taking over” Hormuz and reimposing a blockade of Iranian ports, floating a 20 percent fee on cargo transiting the waterway.

U.S. strikes Iran for third day, will reimpose blockade

Iran had on Sunday (July 12, 2026) declared that the strait was closed, after having opened it to shipping during negotiations with the United States seeking a final deal to permanently end the war.

Iran’s legislature had been suspended after the war broke out in late February, but resumed sessions on Monday (July 13, 2026).

Parliament is headed by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who also acts as chief negotiator in talks with Washington, a role that has thrust him further into the political limelight in recent months.

A number of lawmakers are opposed to any negotiations with the United States, and expressed concern over having no say on the signing of the memorandum of understanding with Washington.

Israel’s Defence Minister said Wednesday (July 1, 2026) that Israeli forces would remain in self-proclaimed “security zones” established in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, without any timeline for withdrawal.

“The IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza indefinitely in order to protect our residents and communities from jihadist elements,” Israel Katz said.

“We will not withdraw from the security zones,” Mr. Katz said at a function held in honour of Israeli soldiers killed during the 2006 war in Lebanon.

Mr. Katz also reiterated an earlier warning to Iran, saying the Islamic republic would be struck with “full force” if it attacked Israel over its operations in Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-sponsored framework agreement under U.S. sponsorship on Friday (June 26, 2026) to pave the way for peace between the two countries and disarm the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly ruled out withdrawing troops from southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue to clash with Hezbollah fighters.

They maintain that any troop withdrawal would happen only after Hezbollah has been disarmed across Lebanon.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in early March with rocket fire aimed at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, nearly 4,300 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the war erupted.

The Israeli military says it has lost 38 soldiers and one civilian contractor in Lebanon since fighting began in early March.

Israel has also carried out repeated incursions and bombings in Syria since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, saying it seeks to establish a demilitarised zone in the country’s south.

In Gaza, Israeli forces occupy nearly 70% of the territory.

Both the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the Israeli military accuse each other of violating the ceasefire, which has been in effect since October last year.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched drone and missile attacks on Sunday (June 28, 2026) targeting Bahrain and Kuwait in response to U.S. airstrikes that hit the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” could come to negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.

West Asia war LIVE updates on June 28

The attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait came as a multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday (June 27, 2026) that it would expand a route near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz to allow for both inbound and outbound traffic — setting up a new flashpoint with Tehran.

An interim deal between the U.S. and Iran to end the war called for the Strait, which once saw a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas pass through it, to see transits resume. However, Iran has twice attacked vessels going through the Oman route, backed by a United Nations agency, as Tehran insists that it must control passage through the crucial waterway despite American and Gulf Arab opposition.

Early Sunday (June 28, 2026), the U.S. military’s Central Command said it struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship at sea early Saturday (June 27, 2026) morning. That ship, the Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku, carried crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar, a key negotiator between Iran and the U.S.

In a social media post, Mr. Trump said the U.S. had “struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!” He warned of a point where the U.S. may no longer be able to be reasonable, “and will be forced to militarily complete the job.”

“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The incident follows a similar back-and-forth that occurred just days prior, when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman on Thursday (June 25, 2026), and the U.S. military retaliated with strikes.

Strikes were response to Iranian attack on oil tanker: US

According to ship tracking websites, the Kiku left a Qatari oil field in the middle of the Persian Gulf earlier in the week and was bound for a port in the United Arab Emirates that sits on the Gulf of Oman, just on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz.

It appeared to be attempting to use a route that was established near the coast of Oman, which is serving as an alternative to the route sanctioned by Iran that runs through its own waters.

The U.S. military said that “Iran had a chance to honour the ceasefire agreement” but “elected not to” when its forces attacked the Kiku.

After the U.S. strikes early Sunday (June 28, 2026), Kuwait’s military said air defences intercepted incoming Iranian drones and missiles. It offered no immediate information on any damage. Kuwait is home to a major U.S. Army base.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing what it called “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression against the sovereignty of the kingdom, and the security of its citizens and residents.”

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, whose base there came under repeated attack during the war.

The Guard claimed responsibility for both attacks, saying it targeted Al Asad Air Base in Kuwait.

“Let the enemy know that violating the ceasefire… will lead to a complete halt of ongoing processes,” the Guard added.

The Guard, which controls Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and is thought to be wielding even greater influence now in the Islamic Republic.