This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.
Catch up on Monday's top developments here:
- Iraq says opens probe into Saudi drone attack claim
- Trump brushes off concerns of depleted ammunition due to Iran war
- Pakistan condemns drone attacks against Saudi Arabia
- Oil prices continue to sink after US and Iran pause strikes
- Lebanon says Israel continues to breach ‘international law’
Saudi Arabia says intercepted drones from Iran-backed groups in Iraq
Published: July 28, 2026 | 19:50 GMT | by AFP
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said late Tuesday that its forces had intercepted drones targeting oil facilities in the east, blaming Iran-backed groups in Iraq for the launches for a second day running.
The ministry's spokesman, Turki al-Maliki, said that "aerial defences intercepted and destroyed several drones that attempted to target oil installations", adding that "these new terrorist attacks were launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by militias linked to Iran".
Gaza’s temporary schools fail to keep pace with children’s needs, UN mapping finds
Published: July 28, 2026 | 17:05 GMT | by Web Desk
Hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza lack access to a functioning school, according to new mapping by the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), Al Jazeera reports.
The analysis, based on data collected through June 30, found that only 613 temporary learning spaces have been built to serve roughly 770,422 school-aged children and adolescents across the territory, with just 432,701 currently enrolled.
The findings underscore how far reconstruction of basic services still lags behind the scale of displacement in Gaza.
Researchers used a method that tracks how easily families can reach a classroom on foot to identify where shortages are most severe. North Gaza, Gaza City, and parts of Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah showed the widest gaps, with dense populations far outstripping available classroom space.
The study also counted 2,149 sites housing displaced people as of mid-May. Aid officials say the figures point to the scale of investment still needed to restore even basic schooling for children whose education has been disrupted for months.
Gaza doctors report surge in miscarriages linked to war, malnutrition
Published: July 28, 2026 | 15:43 GMT | by Web Desk
Medical officials in Gaza say they’re treating a surge in miscarriages that they link directly to Israel’s genocidal war and blockade, Al Jazeera reported.
The trend has worsened as Gaza’s health system collapses after years of bombardment with malnutrition and psychological strain cited as key drivers.
Al-Awda Hospital’s maternity director, Yasser Saadeddine, told Al Jazeera roughly 70 percent of pregnancy losses his team treats are linked to the war and blockade.
Nuha Abu Lebda, a Palestinian displaced multiple times, has now had three miscarriages. “I woke up hoping my baby was still inside me. I cried so much because I lost the baby I dreamed about every single day.”
Iran says 350 government employees killed during US-Israel war
Published: July 28, 2026 | 13:20 GMT | by Web Desk
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani says more than 350 government staff have been killed in US-Israeli attacks since the war began five months ago.
“While meeting with the families of the martyrs, I must remind you that during these days more than 350 government employees have attained martyrdom while serving,” Mohajerani said in a statement.
“From the engineer who sacrificed his life on top of BTS towers to maintain people’s communications in Hormozgan, to the wiremen who died to keep the electricity flowing, and the dedicated doctors and nurses. Mentioning these loved ones is a tribute to them so they know we consider ourselves indebted to their sacrifice and are grateful for their impeccable efforts.”
Iran and Japan foreign ministers hold talks on Hormuz
Published: July 28, 2026 | 12:31 GMT | by Web Desk
Foreign Ministers Abbas Araghchi and Toshimitsu Motegi have discussed by phone the ongoing efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.
Araghchi “explained to his Japanese counterpart the latest situation in the diplomatic process aimed at establishing regional peace and stability”, a statement on his Telegram channel said.
“The parties emphasised the need for continued coordination and joint cooperation to eliminate insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.
Japan relies on the strait for more than 90% of its crude oil imports.
Israel says US bombers used its bases to strike Iran
Published: July 28, 2026 | 11:52 GMT | by AFP
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said that American warplanes used Israeli bases during their attacks on Iran, reiterating that his country was prepared to retaliate if targeted.
Fighting between the US and Iran has been paused since Friday after 13 nights of US strikes on the Islamic republic, after an April ceasefire collapsed.
"The fact is that, at the moment - and this could change within an hour - the Iranians are firing at everything in the region except one country: the State of Israel," Katz told Israel's right-wing Channel 14.
"They know that American aircraft are taking off from here to carry out strikes," he added.
US oil contract WTI falls back below $80 on Mideast hopes
Published: July 28, 2026 | 9:08 GMT | by AFP
The main US oil contract slid below $80 a barrel Tuesday after President Donald Trump signaled optimism over a deal to end Middle East hostilities.
West Texas Intermediate tumbled 3.2% to $79.98 a barrel and the main international benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, shed 3.7% to $85.10 a barrel.
Iran discusses Hormuz Strait in calls with Oman, Saudi Arabia
Published: July 28, 2026 | 6:24 GMT | by AFP
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls on the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani and Saudi counterparts Badr Al-Busaidi and Faisal bin Farhan, state TV said Tuesday.
During the calls, "they stressed the need to strengthen cooperation and advance joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region and eliminate the insecurity imposed on the Strait of Hormuz due to the aggressive actions of the United States," the state broadcaster added.
Iran has maintained control over the strait since the start of the Middle East war on February 28, disrupting shipping through the vital conduit.
In recent weeks, fighting has also spread to involve Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The last few days have nonetheless seen a lull in hostilities in the region.
Israel says intercepted drone near Jordan border
Published: July 28, 2026 | 3:36 GMT | by AFP
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it intercepted a drone near the Jordanian border and was looking into its origin.
"A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a UAV in the area of the Jordan border," the military said.
"The UAV did not cross into Israeli territory. The origin of the launch is under review."
Jordan has been repeatedly targeted since war resumed between Iran and the United States earlier this month.
Separately, the Israeli military said early Tuesday that air sirens sounded in the area of Kissufim, next to the Gaza Strip, due to a "false identification".
New round of Israel-Lebanon talks set August 4: US official
Published: July 28, 2026 | 1:46 GMT | by AFP
The US State Department confirmed that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held in Rome on August 4 through 6, as Israel prepares to withdraw from two "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani first announced the next round of US-mediated talks last week, with a State Department official detailing the talks to AFP on the condition of anonymity.
"In Rome, technical groups will focus on advancing the full implementation of the framework agreement," the official told AFP, adding that the planned discussion "includes expanding the pilot zone process, resolving all outstanding border issues, and working on a comprehensive peace and security agreement."
The Israel-Lebanon framework deal emerged after war broke out when Israel started bombarding Lebanon on March 2, against the backdrop of the wider Middle East war.
It calls for an end to the war in Lebanon, disarmament of Hezbollah, the deployment of Lebanese troops in the south and for Israeli forces to steadily withdraw from the country in two "pilot zones."
"The experience of the initial zones will help us perfect pilot-zone implementation so it can expand in a phased manner," the US official added.
Lebanon's army on Sunday condemned Israel's ongoing military operations in the south of the country, stating it was preventing its full deployment under the framework deal.
Beirut has reported intermittent Israeli strikes and artillery shelling on the south despite the lull in fighting.
Yemen govt says 'prepared for any escalations' with Houthis
Published: July 28, 2026 | 00:21 GMT | by AFP
Yemen's internationally recognized government on Monday said it is ready for any escalation with Houthi rebels after the group launched attacks and a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia.
Fears are growing that renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels in Yemen may further destabilize the Arabian Peninsula and rattle the region's precarious fault lines.
"At the end of the day, we are prepared for any escalations," Yemen's foreign minister designate Afrah al-Zouba told reporters during a briefing in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
The comments came just hours after the Houthis said they launched fresh drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure in response to incursions by the kingdom's drones.
For earlier developments, read our July 27 live blog here.