Live ingestion is paused. We’re migrating our backend to a new database. The archive is up to date through Aug 11, 2026 (27 daysago). Fresh events will resume once the migration finishes — historical analysis is fully available.
Conflict Events Archive
327,048 documented events · latest Aug 11, 2026 — chronological archive with full summaries and multi-source verification.
Is the Mecca Agreement Israel's worst nightmare come true?
Is the Mecca Agreement Israel's worst nightmare come true? The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a trilateral pact announced last week between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, marks a significant and hugely symbolic step for the region. Penned in the holy city of Mecca rather than the Saudi capital, and accompanied by visuals of the leaders of the three nations praying, the agreement sent a clear message to the world. Yet while the Saudis swiftly denied that the deal aimed to establish a sectarian or military bloc, there has been much speculation as to what purpose it ultimately serves, especially after Riyadh recently announced the formation of an international axis to protect Red Sea shipping. In addition, the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), dubbed “Muslim Nato”, had already brought dozens of states together in an alliance a decade ago. The Mecca pact comes at a time when uncertainty reigns over the future of several ongoing conflicts, including the US-Iran war; Israel’s aggressive military occupation and slaughter in Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territories; and indeed, Saudi Arabia’s own battles against the Houthis in Yemen and other Iran-backed militias in Iraq. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters While Turkish and Pakistani media have gone into overdrive speculating on the notion of a new Middle East order, it remains unclear as to how the three militaries could actually fight a war together, side by side - and against which enemy? We have been here before. In 2017, similar fanfare greeted the appointment of former Pakistani army chief Raheel Sharif as the first commander of the Saudi-led IMCTC. Then as now, countering Iran and its proxies seemed to be the focus of the fledgling alliance. Self-fulfilling prophecy Questions are now being asked as to whether the Mecca deal is a pointed warning, aiming to deter Iran and its proxies from further attacks on Gulf states. Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have all had proxy conflicts in the region, from Syria, to Yemen, to the volatile Pakistani province of Balochistan. All three countries have had, or continue to have, major differences with Iran over how the region should be run. At the same time, it is no surprise that Israeli media have been particularly vocal over this announcement. For Tel Aviv, it marks the culmination of a self-fulfilling prophecy: for months, top Israeli officials have warned of the threat of a so-called new 'Sunni' axis shaping up to replace Iran as Israel’s main enemy. India, Israel and Greece have certainly raised alarm bells. As to whether they will translate into battle-defining realities, only time will tell From the former and potential future prime minister, Naftali Bennett, to former government spokesperson Eylon Levy, many Israeli figures have highlighted the supposed threat of a Pakistani-Turkish partnership backed by Saudi and Qatari money. Almost weekly, there is a new column touting the risk of Turkey invading Israel or becoming the “new Iran”. After an Israeli strike recently landed near the Pakistani embassy in Tehran, a Pakistani think tank close to the military issued a stark warning to Israel. And the Jerusalem Post recently published an article discussing how a reported Pakistani troop deployment to Saudi Arabia could shift the power balance of the Middle East. US President Donald Trump has made Pakistani military chief Asim Munir his go-to guy on Iran, calling him his “favourite field marshal”. Trump has also given Pakistan a front seat at the Gaza peace talks - all of which has made Israel nervous, particularly in light of a now-deleted post from Pakistan’s defence minister calling Israel “evil”, alongside resurfaced Turkish threats to intervene in Gaza. Turkish media outlets are already pointing to Greece as the first potential target of this new alliance. Greece, having become Israel’s main Mediterranean ally, has publicly raised the issue of Pakistani military assets in disputed waters as a sign of Turkish and Pakistani joint military preparedness. Open question It is also no coincidence that India, another ally of Israel, is teaming up with the Greeks to potentially counter a Turkish-Pakistani military alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece has raised the issue of Pakistani pilots training their Turkish counterparts, while India last year lashed out at Turkey for supporting Pakistan during the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Yet beyond symbolism, the extent to which Turkey can support Pakistan in combat remains an open question; as a Nato country, Turkey cannot go to war without impacting the entire military alliance. In addition, both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are buyers of US fighter jets and helicopters, and Washington has wielded its power to veto prior deals. In 2022, the US stopped Turkey from selling Pakistan 30 attack helicopters, in what would have been the largest Turkish-Pakistani aviation deal in history. Any potential future deals will thus come under significant American and European scrutiny. Saudi Arabia has never openly sided with Pakistan in its endless war against India, seeing itself more as a neutral peacemaker; indeed, India is one of Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partners, while Pakistan is the recipient of Saudi aid. Similarly, Saudi Arabia is unlikely to take sides in any Turkey-vs-Greece conflict. Just last month, an air-defence system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted missiles launched from Yemen towards oil refineries in Yanbu, according to a Reuters report. So the question remains: beyond Israel’s alleged fears and a perceievd 'Iranian threat' to Saudi Arabia, is this alliance predominantly symbolic - a card to forewarn enemies that bilateral conflicts will now be multilateral, spilling across different geographies? India, Israel and Greece have certainly raised alarm bells. As to whether they will translate into battle-defining realities, only time will tell. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
Is the Mecca Agreement Israel's worst nightmare come true?
Is the Mecca Agreement Israel's worst nightmare come true?
The Latest: Trump pivots back to sanctions for Iran as other strategies to end his war fizzle
President Donald Trump on Monday said that since Iran is seeking compensation as part of any peace talks, he’ll demand the same. It’s part of a larger pivot by Trump, who’s arguing that Iran is on the cusp of financially collapsing, even though the decades of financial sanctions it faces aren’t an immediate conflict-ending tool. Prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, Trump secretly flew out of last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on an alternate military aircraft while the White House made it appear he was with the press pool on Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post. The president’s media company has tried a half-dozen businesses to lift its stock, but nothing has worked. Now it’s getting back to its roots, telling investors Monday that Truth Social will focus on selling early high-speed access to his administration’s announcements on social media, a move raising ethical questions. The Latest: Former Air Force Secretary says he’ll sue Trump administration to restore his security clearance Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Monday said he’ll sue to force the Trump administration to restore his security clearance, which it revoked Friday after claiming he had disclosed sensitive information about the Qatari-gifted jet now serving as Air Force One. Kendall, a West Point graduate who served as President Joe Biden’s head of the Air Force, said on CNN Monday that he’ll sue the administration, noting it has a history of retaliating against critics by stripping their clearances. “As my mother taught me years ago, you stand up to bullies,” said Kendall, who has denied disclosing classified information. Mark Zaid, a prominent national security attorney who sued the administration after his own clearance was revoked by the Trump administration, confirmed in a post on X that Kendall had hired him. “More to come,” Zaid wrote. ▶ Read more As Trump Media scraps some businesses, it’s doubling down on Truth Social and the president The president’s media company has tried its hand at a half-dozen new lines of business to lift its stock, but nothing has worked. Now it’s getting back to its roots. In a conference call with investors Monday, the company behind Truth Social said it will be unwinding much of its expansion and doubling down on its original media business by selling a form of White House access, a move that has raised big ethical questions among Democrats and government watchdogs. Trump started Truth Social after he was kicked off Twitter and Facebook, but the two reinstated him more than three years ago, so the company has had to transform itself. Instead of a “free speech” forum, it now acts more like a “hear it here first” site, a second White House press office where people get scoops from the president on everything from the Iran war to tariffs to the future of the U.S. central bank. But shares of the parent company, Trump Media & Technology, kept falling so it decided to become more than a media company and branched into unrelated industries like online betting, finance, investment funds, buying and storing bitcoin and nuclear energy. ▶ Read more Trump used elaborate ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat, report says Catering trucks are parked at Air Force One on the tarmac as the motorcade carrying U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the tarmac to depart following the NATO summit at Ankara International Airport in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Trump secretly flew out of last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on an alternate military aircraft while the White House made it appear that the Republican president was flying on Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post on Monday. The Post said the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The ruse was carried out as journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president as he began his journey back to Washington from the annual gathering of NATO country leaders. The Post cited material reviewed by the newspaper, a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the president’s travel. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the report. The White House did not respond directly to questions about the Post report of the secret operation to whisk Trump out of the country on a third aircraft, or the reported elaborate ruse to make it appear he was on the baby blue Air Force One jet flying to Mildenhall. ▶ Read more Trump pivots back to sanctions for Iran as other strategies to end his war fizzle The Trump administration is hoping that months of bombing have pushed Iran’s economy to a breaking point that will force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers. The president on Monday said that since Iran is seeking compensation as part of any peace talks, he now intends to demand the same for the U.S. side. It’s part of a larger pivot this weekend by Trump to argue that Iran is now on the cusp of financially collapsing, even though it has already endured decades of financial sanctions, which are often a longer-term strategy rather than an immediate tool of warfare that can halt a conflict. The shift comes as U.S. stockpiles of key weapons have dwindled and as stop-start talks seem again to have stalled. But Trump insists the pressure can lead to a breakthrough. ▶ Read more
Desperate Putin’s Plot to Stop Humiliation at Home Revealed
The only political party in Russia opposed to the war in Ukraine has been blocked from running in next month’s parliamentary elections as dictator Vladimir Putin tries to keep a lid on public anger about the conflict. The Russian Supreme Court upheld a lawsuit on Monday to keep Yabloko off the September ballots over allegations of undeclared campaign support and breaches of campaigning rules, just as the anti-war party was gaining momentum. For years, Yabloko, meaning Apple, was considered a fringe party that frequently failed to garner enough support to win seats in Russia’s Duma, the lower house of the country’s parliament. However, its support has grown as more and more Russians become disillusioned with the stalled invasion of Ukraine, which has stretched into its fifth year. Ukraine has also been bombarding Russia with wave after wave of drone strikes targeting the country’s oil refineries, which have resulted in fuel shortages and damaged Moscow’s economy. Ukraine has also been hitting warehouses and facilities operated by Wildberries, the Russian equivalent of Amazon, in order to bring Putin’s invasion home to the Russian people. Yabloko has not managed to reach the 5-percent vote threshold to win seats in the Duma since 2003, reported The Washington Post. But as Putin’s battleground humiliation grows, polls suggest the anti-war party, which is demanding a ceasefire in Ukraine, could capture 9 percent of the vote. Kirill Goncharov, head of Yabloko’s Moscow chapter, said the party had been expecting the decision from Russia’s Supreme Court. “We were aware that the more popular we were getting, the more trouble we’re creating for the Kremlin,” Goncharov told The New York Times. “People want peace, freedom and a life without fear—people want what this party represents.” Hundreds of Yabloko supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court to chant “Russia Without Putin!” following Monday’s ruling. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of opposition leader and vocal Putin critic Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in 2024, said the court’s decision is proof that the Kremlin is “scared.” “They’ve seen what they really didn’t want to see: people are starting to unite. And it’s not even so much about support for Yabloko. It’s about the fact that millions of Russians now have a chance to say what they truly think about Putin and the war,” Navalnaya posted on X. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former oligarch-turned-Putin critic who is now living in exile in London, said Monday’s ruling proves that the Kremlin only “tolerates opposition parties when it can control the outcome.” “Hundreds of people showing up at the courthouse today made sure Yabloko was not one of those cases,” Khodorkovsky told the Post. “Too risky. That is why Putin’s rubber-stamp court just removed them from the ballot.”
Desperate Putin’s Plot to Stop Humiliation at Home Revealed
Desperate Putin’s Plot to Stop Humiliation at Home Revealed
Donald Trump’s dilemma: Ending the Iran war to appease Americans will anger his evangelical base
Donald Trump’s dilemma: Ending the Iran war to appease Americans will anger his evangelical base
Donald Trump’s dilemma: Ending the Iran war to appease Americans will anger his evangelical base
The American war on Iran has quickly become one of the most unpopular wars in United States history. At the beginning of March 2026, when the war started, 46 per cent of Americans opposed the conflict, according to pollster Nate Silver’s aggregator of polling data. Now that number has risen to 57 per cent. As a result, U.S. President Donald Trump is in urgent need of reliable support for the war effort. A group known as Christian Zionists consistently shows strong backing for his military actions. Foremost among these supporters are those who gathered for the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) annual conference recently held in Washington, D.C. Led by the firebrand pastor John Hagee, CUFI has established itself as one of the most powerful lobbying groups within the Republican Party. With a membership of 10 million, it stands as one of Trump’s most reliable bases of support, particularly in terms of his war efforts. At the recent conference attended by thousands of fervent supporters of close American-Israeli ties, as well as the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Hagee opened the conference’s night to honour Israel event with the following statement about the Iranian regime: “The issue is whether a regime that sponsors terror and threatens Israel should be permitted to exist… Israel has the right to stop a nuclear sword from being placed over the neck of the Jewish people.” Dispensationalists, evangelicals The doctoral project of one of the authors of this article, Jason Piché, focuses on Christian Zionism, dispensationalism and their impact on U.S. foreign policy. Dispensations are seen as distinct periods in history, believed to be ordained by God to govern and organize the affairs of the world. Dispensationalism functions both as a method for interpreting the Bible and as a framework for understanding its history. Co-author André Gagné’s 2024 book American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare and End Times addresses the role of American evangelicals in U.S. politics. Christian organizations like CUFI exist solely to fervently support Israel. Yet Christian Zionism has been a crucial aspect of some American Protestant groups since the late 19th century, and its influence has only increased since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Christian Zionism began in tandem with a theological idea known as premillennial dispensationalism in the mid-19th century. During a tour of the U.S., Bible scholar John Nelson Darby promoted the belief that God had divided the history of the world into seven dispensations. The final dispensation, according to Darby, would see the return of Jesus Christ and the beginning of his millennial reign. Darby believed that Jewish people would play a crucial role in this final dispensation, as Jesus’s return could only occur if the Jews reclaimed their traditional homeland in Palestine and built a Third Temple. Christian Zionists and dispensationalists have therefore become strong supporters of the state of Israel, viewing its security as being a fundamental aspect of their theology. As a result, they support joint Israeli-U.S. military operations against Iran and believe that America should take steps to promote Israeli interests in the region. Read more: When war looks like prophecy: How U.S. ‘end time’ narratives frame the war with Iran Christian Zionism and U.S. foreign policy Trump recently announced that negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran have resumed, which initially led to some pause in hostilities between the two countries. Now, Trump says the U.S. is only “semi-negotiating” with Iran. For his Christian Zionist supporters, however, negotiations with the Islamic Republic pose an existential threat to Israel and, consequently, to American interests. During the recent CUFI Israel event, prominent pastor Russell Johnson expressed these concerns and was met with thunderous applause from the crowd: “That is why I must say to our very own political leaders, finish the job! … Israel should not be restrained from permanently removing an existential threat simply because diplomats want a ceremony and politicians want a headline. If you want America to be strong and to be free, America must remain a friend to Israel.” For Trump’s most loyal supporters, the American-Israeli war with Iran is seen as an existential struggle that encompasses both material and spiritual dimensions. They believe the U.S. and Israel must neutralize Iran to guarantee Israel’s long-term security. Such actions not only empower Israel and solidify its position within the dispensationalist framework of the end times, but also benefit America, as they believe it aligns with God’s promise in Genesis 12:3 to bless those who support his covenant people. Trump’s conundrum Trump is in a difficult position. With an approval rating of merely 38 per cent, ending the war could alienate his most ardent supporters, while continuing it could further distance him from the majority of Americans who disapprove of the conflict. His approach of vacillating between largely inconsequential airstrikes, cataclysmic threats and unsuccessful peace negotiations is unlikely to satisfy any of his key constituencies. What is clear is that if he decides to escalate the war, Christian Zionists will be at the forefront of those supporting him.
Ramallah festival returns, declaring ‘We Are Staying’ amid war
The 15th edition of the "Wayn a Ramallah?" ("Where to, Ramallah?") Festival opened Tuesday in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah under the theme "We Are Staying," after a two-year hiatus due to Israel's war on the Gaza Strip. The festival, which runs through Friday at Rashid al-Haddadin Square opposite Ramallah Municipality, features musical and artistic performances by Palestinian singers and bands. The event is taking place amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians have faced increasing violence by Israeli settlers since the start of Israel's war in Gaza. On Monday, Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh, just east of Ramallah, setting fire to two vehicles and vandalizing a home with racist slogans and threats. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, which was the latest in a series of incidents targeting Taybeh. The incidents have included the establishment of a settler outpost and a fire near the town's historic cemetery and the Church of St. George. Thousands of settler attacks have been reported across the West Bank since the beginning of 2025. The violence has continued despite a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In a statement, Ramallah Municipality said the festival had been suspended for two years because of Israel's war against the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip. The municipality said the war represents a form of "comprehensive warfare" targeting Palestinians, their culture, environment and basic necessities of life. "This year's edition is taking place under exceptional circumstances amid an ongoing war against the very existence of the Palestinian people," the municipality said. It said the festival seeks to reinforce the continuity and development of Palestinian culture and demonstrate that culture is not simply a luxury for times of stability, but also a means of resistance, survival and preserving collective memory. The municipality also said the festival aims to protect Palestinian identity and pass it on to future generations. Launched in 2010, the "Wayn a Ramallah?" Festival has sought to showcase Palestinian artists and bands from the West Bank and abroad, maintaining a cultural platform for Palestinian music and artistic expression.
Ramallah festival returns, declaring ‘We Are Staying’ amid war
Ramallah festival returns, declaring ‘We Are Staying’ amid war
Consequences of US war against Iran to cost German households €16.8 billion — report
Consequences of US war against Iran to cost German households €16.8 billion — report
Consequences of US war against Iran to cost German households €16.8 billion — report
BERLIN, August 11. /TASS/. The economic repercussions of the US and Israeli conflict with Iran are projected to impose a €16.8 billion burden on German households, with the nation's poorest populations bearing the brunt of the income decline, according to a report by the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research. The institute's analysis compares income forecasts made prior to and following the onset of the US military escalation. On average, German households face a 1.15% reduction in their annual income. However, the impact is markedly more severe for the bottom 10% of households, which could see nearly a 2.9% decrease, while the wealthiest households are expected to experience only a 0.65% decline. "We observe that less affluent households find it more challenging to shield themselves from the effects of a distant price shock, resulting in a sharper decline in their purchasing power," stated Ifo analyst Tiphaine Wibault. The study also highlights pensioners as among the most affected groups. Their costs tend to rise disproportionately, given that they spend a significant amount of time at home and consequently consume more electricity and heating. Additionally, the Bild newspaper, referencing its own calculations based on Ifo data, notes that the total loss of €16.8 billion translates to an average annual income loss of approximately €403 per household.
Bulgaria: What does the Ukrainian drone incursion reveal?
Bulgaria: What does the Ukrainian drone incursion reveal?August 11, 2026 When a drone entered Bulgaria's airspace on Saturday and exploded in a sunflower field near the northeastern village of Kardam and about 100 meters (328 feet) from a border checkpoint with Romania, the immediate question was where the aircraft had come from. Following an on-site check, the Bulgarian Defense Ministry said the drone was a Ukrainian-manufactured Maya decoy aircraft used to activate and deceive the enemy's drone systems. And while both Bulgarian and Ukrainian officials confirmed that the first drone explosion on Bulgarian territory since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was in no way deliberate, the case quickly became politically charged. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's ambassador on Monday and stressed that "any unauthorized entry into Bulgarian airspace is unacceptable." Kyiv promised to cooperate fully in clarifying the circumstances of the incident. What is known about the incident? At 8:10 a.m. local time on Saturday, a blast was heard by a police patrol near the Kardam checkpoint on the border between Bulgaria and Romania. Police and military units cordoned off the area once the exact location of the fallen drone was established in a field. In his first statement, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that there had been neither casualties nor damage to infrastructure but claimed that the drone had been carrying a "significant amount of explosives." Officials on the ground painted a less dramatic picture, saying the explosion did not even create a crater and that only a few sunflowers had been damaged. Drone came down near gas pipeline The incident occurred approximately a kilometer (0.6 miles) from Bulgaria's compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline route, which connects Turkey and Ukraine, and in close proximity to a Romanian station. This initially raised questions about whether this key infrastructure could have been a potential target. Prime Minister Radev said that neither Romanian, Bulgarian nor other NATO radars had detected the drone, pointing to the country's lack of advanced equipment capable of detecting the traces of such small aircraft, which usually fly very low. A wake-up call for Bulgaria Saturday's drone incident has been a wake-up call for Bulgaria in terms of its defense capability. "Yes, we need new (anti-drone) systems that need to be bought fast," Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Monday in an interview with public broadcaster BNT. While Bulgaria recently reinforced its aerial defense capacity in the northeastern part of the country following an increase in the number of drone incursions in neighboring Romania, these defenses did not prevent the airspace breach. Minister Stoyanov said that Bulgaria is seeking to acquire up to 10 anti-drone and electronic warfare systems through the EU's SAFE mechanism and speed up radar purchases. He admitted that this number would still be insufficient to provide "comprehensive coverage" of the country's territory. "Drone wars have been waged next to us since 2023, and no concrete measures have been adopted," Defense Minister Stoyanov said, adding that Bulgaria does not currently have an anti-drone strategy but that his ministry will prepare one. With NATO members scaling up their aerial defenses, Bulgaria now joins the list of countries in Europe that have experienced drone incursions linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Was Russia involved? As the decoy drone was partially destroyed, officials have yet to establish its exact trajectory before it crossed Romania and entered Bulgaria. According to Stoyanov, the drone's GPS system was not protected, which could have allowed its movement to be manipulated. Although he did not actually name Russia as potentially being behind the incident, he said that the crash could have been caused by what is known as a spoofing campaign, an electronic attack that manipulates a drone's GPS signals. He also pointed to a possible technical failure, as the aircraft's chip was found to be defective. The Defense Ministry declined to say whether the hypothesis of Russian spoofing was being actively investigated and referred DW's questions to the Military Prosecutor's Office, which had not replied by the time of publication. Russia's response Former Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, however, feels that it is most likely that Russia played a role in the drone crash. "The most probable hypothesis is that electronic warfare led to the loss of control over this drone as a result of Russia's actions," Tagarev told DW, adding that Bulgarian authorities have the necessary information to rule out this possibility if it is not the case. As the investigation continues, the government has not publicly mentioned Russia and is instead seeking answers from Ukraine. The handling of the case was even welcomed in Moscow, with Yuri Pilipson, a senior representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, praising Radev's government for its "more restrained" and "more rational" rhetoric toward the war in Ukraine. Bulgaria's recent foreign policy shift The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry used the incident to reiterate that security in the region can be achieved only through diplomacy after it summoned the Ukrainian ambassador. "This war will not be decided on the battlefield, but through diplomatic steps," Defense Minister Stoyanov said, echoing Prime Minister Radev's longstanding position. A former president and fighter jet pilot, Radev won an absolute majority in parliament in April with his Progressive Bulgaria party. While the country had until then steadfastly supported Ukraine, the new government brought a change in the country's foreign policy, promising a "more pragmatic" approach, including toward the war in Ukraine. Over the past three months, Bulgaria has halted state arms supplies to Ukraine, blocked the EU's efforts to include the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in its sanctions package and declined French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to join the Coalition of the Willing. "I think the Bulgarian foreign minister was too quick to summon the Ukrainian ambassador rather than the Russian one," Todor Tagarev told DW. "It doesn't matter whose drone it is, but rather whose actions caused it to end up here." Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan
Bulgaria: What does the Ukrainian drone incursion reveal?
Bulgaria: What does the Ukrainian drone incursion reveal?
Trump’s son-in-law vacations after creating ‘diplomatic catastrophe’: analysis
Trump’s son-in-law vacations after creating ‘diplomatic catastrophe’: analysis
Trump’s son-in-law vacations after creating ‘diplomatic catastrophe’: analysis
Special Envoy for Peace and private investor Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump recently shared photos of their recent family vacation in Iceland, a getaway that the writers for Popular Information couldn’t help but note came as every foreign policy negotiation Kushner’s been involved with collapses. “It has not been going well. Since Trump’s October 2025 speech, the hotspots in Kushner’s portfolio have all deteriorated. Kushner has guided the United States into a substantially worse strategic position. In all cases, the prospects for a lasting peace are further away,” reads an analysis published Tuesday in Popular Information. “None of this seems to be bothering Kushner. The Strait of Hormuz is closed, the fighting in Ukraine has intensified, and Israel is rejecting American leadership in Gaza. Meanwhile, Kushner is taking a family vacation in Iceland.” Kushner has been heavily involved in negotiations surrounding Gaza, the U.S. war against Iran and the Russo-Ukraine war, all of which have deteriorated in recent weeks. Iran war negotiations in particular have entirely collapsed, creating what Popular Information referred to as a “diplomatic catastrophe.” And yet, as Fox News reported, Kushner’s wife took to social media last weekend to boast about “taking in Iceland’s scenery,” sharing with her followers photos at Iceland’s Blue Lagoon and other vacation destinations. Before entering politics, Kushner ran his family's real estate business, Kushner Companies, where his $1.8 billion purchase of the Manhattan skyscraper at 666 Fifth Avenue in 2007 nearly bankrupted the company after the building's value collapsed during the financial crisis. Kushner served as a senior adviser during Trump's first term, where he helped broker the Abraham Accords, and afterward launched the private equity firm Affinity Partners, which raised billions of dollars from sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
‘New level of danger’: Drone incidents scare Europe amid Russia-Ukraine war
‘New level of danger’: Drone incidents scare Europe amid Russia-Ukraine war After a drone crashes in Germany, fears of suspected Russian operations rise across Europe. A quadcopter drone with plastic explosives attached to it flew unnoticed past air defence installations at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport, a key NATO airlift hub, on August 4. The drone hit a Ukrainian cargo plane but failed to detonate. It fell onto the tarmac and was found four hours later by a bus driver who stepped on it and called security, German media reported. DNA traces linked the drone to a firebomb that was mailed to the same airport and set a freight container on fire in July 2024, the Bild tabloid reported. Recommended Storieslist of 4 items - list 1 of 4‘Like the movies’: How Ukraine’s ground robots are changing rules of war - list 2 of 4‘Long-range sanctions’: Ukraine hopes strikes cause Russia fear and losses - list 3 of 4Russia bars only party opposing war in Ukraine from parliamentary vote - list 4 of 4Russian attacks kill six in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia The incident marked a “new level of danger” for Germany, its interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, said – while never naming Russia as a possible culprit. “These threats are not the work of amateurs. Rather, they require very professional preparation and execution,” Dobrindt told reporters at the airport. “We’re dealing with possibly foreign powers.” Dobrindt’s comments reflect Berlin’s decades-old policy of placating Moscow because of World War II grievances and Germany’s pragmatic approach to Russian oil and gas exports, which helped fuel its economic growth. United States intelligence agencies reportedly believed the drone was Russian and the explosives it carried suggested a military manufacturer. The failed attack was designed to test NATO’s collective defensive resolve, The Wall Street Journal wrote on Friday. Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunaus has a more sinister vision. He alleged on Thursday that Moscow is devising a false-flag attack on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region using captured Ukrainian drones to “frame” Kyiv. Even though he said the threat was not immediate, Poland and other Baltic states, which have also experienced drone incursions, have tightened security around their energy sites and logistical hubs. ‘Putin tests NATO’ Military analysts, air defence and drone warfare experts told Al Jazeera that they believe the drone was Russian and its failed strike is part of a much wider, years-old hybrid warfare campaign the Kremlin designed brazenly and meticulously. Since 2024, they said, Moscow has been sending drones to a dozen NATO nations and Ireland to unnerve their governments, sow panic among civilians, identify air defence vulnerabilities, and check the speed of their response – or lack thereof – and the efficiency of coordination between NATO air forces. Russian President Vladimir “Putin tests NATO and shows [member states] how weak they are,” Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who specialised in air defence for decades, told Al Jazeera. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Russian drones forced these nations to halt operations at airports, disrupted logistical operations and penetrated the perimeters of nuclear sites and defence installations where advanced US weapons or French submarines were located. In a July report, it said Moscow most likely used its “shadow fleet” of tankers shipping Russian oil that traverses European maritime routes and international waters with relative impunity to launch and receive the drones. The campaign followed a large expulsion of alleged Russian spies from embassies throughout Europe who were accused of collecting intelligence for Moscow. The campaign has become “a series of tactical successes for the Kremlin and a strategic failure of allied air defence”, the IISS said. Russia has dismissed claims that it is behind drone incursions into Europe as “scare stories”. Europe’s entire architecture of air defence has for decades been built around detecting and defeating planes and missiles. Detecting drones, attributing them to a certain nation and authorising an interception takes precious time, and using fighter jets and missiles to down them is ineffective and expensive. Moreover, the Kremlin’s campaign “exposed political fractures” within NATO and exploited the gap between what European militaries could do and what their governments were prepared to authorise, the IISS said. Europe’s defence systems ‘outdated by at least five years’ The most likely mastermind behind the Leipzig drone incident is the Main Intelligence Directorate, Moscow’s key foreign intelligence agency, known by its Russian acronym, GRU, according to Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher with Germany’s Bremen University. The GRU’s recent operations have included global cyberespionage campaigns and attempts to disrupt military and maritime logistics in Europe. The Leipzig operation’s “execution from the (Russian) military standpoint is not bad”, Mitrokhin told Al Jazeera, as it has succeeded in troubling Europe. He concluded that European systems of identifying and intercepting drones “are outdated by at least five years” at a time when battles over Ukraine have made drone warfare cheaper and more lethal. “There’s too few of [these systems], and they operate too slowly,” he said. A pioneer of drone warfare in Ukraine said the actual reconnaissance data is irrelevant in comparison with the panic and political stupor Russian drone sightings create. “What is the sense of flying over there when everything is already known? It makes sense when you hit a site and then want to check whether you strike it or not,” Andrey Pronin, who runs a Kyiv-based school for drone pilots, told Al Jazeera. “It’s more like a test of responsiveness. Will there be ‘concerns’ or ‘serious concerns’?” he said mockingly about the usual response of European governments. To prevent similar incidents, “any unknown flying objects should be destroyed,” he said. ‘Europe is not ready for a war’ NATO’s response has been decried as too slow, costly and cautious. Drones have largely replaced conventional artillery, fighter jets and sniper rifles over the front line in Ukraine, but the Western military-industrial complex is lagging far behind. No NATO member state or European nation has swarms of drone interceptors at hand. “They all live with old NATO doctrines that no longer work,” Pronin said. “Europe is not ready for a war. They’re preparing, trying, but they’re not ready.” Romanenko singled out one of the largest incidents that involved Russian drones over a NATO member state. On September 10, Russia sent almost two dozen drones into Polish airspace, prompting Warsaw to halt flights at four airports. Only two drones were shot down while Ukrainian air defences downed 500 Russian drones that day, he said. “It would have been funny had it not been so sad,” Romanenko said. “Russians carried out all their tasks while NATO was only waking up.” Smaller but similar incidents have taken place over other European nations, proving that “their air defence is weak and is not designed for countering” drones, he said. The response was indecisive at best. “This is an ostrich position,” Romanenko said about the few steps taken by the Polish government. “They said they’d made conclusions but didn’t implement a thing.”
‘New level of danger’: Drone incidents scare Europe amid Russia-Ukraine war
‘New level of danger’: Drone incidents scare Europe amid Russia-Ukraine war
Live updates: Trump pivots back to sanctions for Iran as other strategies to end his war fizzle
Live updates: Trump pivots back to sanctions for Iran as other strategies to end his war fizzle Follow the latest news on President Donald Trump and his administration | August 11, 2026 Here’s what we’re following: - President Donald Trump on Monday said that since Iran is seeking compensation as part of any peace talks, he now intends to demand the same for the U.S. side. It’s part of a larger pivot this weekend by Trump to argue that Iran is now on the cusp of financially collapsing, even though it has already endured decades of financial sanctions, which are often a longer-term strategy rather than an immediate tool of warfare that can halt a conflict. - Trump secretly flew out of last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on an alternate military aircraft while the White House made it appear that the Republican president was flying on Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post. The Post said the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. - The president’s media company has tried its hand at a half-dozen new lines of business to lift its stock, but nothing has worked. Now it’s getting back to its roots. In a conference call with investors Monday, the company behind Truth Social said it will be unwinding much of its expansion and doubling down on its original media business by selling a form of White House access, a move that has raised big ethical questions among Democrats and government watchdogs. Former Air Force Secretary says he’ll sue Trump administration to restore his security clearance Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Monday said he’ll sue to force the Trump administration to restore his security clearance, which it revoked Friday after claiming he had disclosed sensitive information about the Qatari-gifted jet now serving as Air Force One. Kendall, a West Point graduate who served as President Joe Biden’s head of the Air Force, said on CNN Monday that he’ll sue the administration, noting it has a history of retaliating against critics by stripping their clearances. “As my mother taught me years ago, you stand up to bullies,” said Kendall, who has denied disclosing classified information. Mark Zaid, a prominent national security attorney who sued the administration after his own clearance was revoked by the Trump administration, confirmed in a post on X that Kendall had hired him. “More to come,” Zaid wrote. As Trump Media scraps some businesses, it’s doubling down on Truth Social and the president The president’s media company has tried its hand at a half-dozen new lines of business to lift its stock, but nothing has worked. Now it’s getting back to its roots. In a conference call with investors Monday, the company behind Truth Social said it will be unwinding much of its expansion and doubling down on its original media business by selling a form of White House access, a move that has raised big ethical questions among Democrats and government watchdogs. Trump started Truth Social after he was kicked off Twitter and Facebook, but the two reinstated him more than three years ago, so the company has had to transform itself. Instead of a “free speech” forum, it now acts more like a “hear it here first” site, a second White House press office where people get scoops from the president on everything from the Iran war to tariffs to the future of the U.S. central bank. But shares of the parent company, Trump Media & Technology, kept falling so it decided to become more than a media company and branched into unrelated industries like online betting, finance, investment funds, buying and storing bitcoin and nuclear energy. Trump used elaborate ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat, report says Trump secretly flew out of last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on an alternate military aircraft while the White House made it appear that the Republican president was flying on Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post on Monday. The Post said the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The ruse was carried out as journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president as he began his journey back to Washington from the annual gathering of NATO country leaders. The Post cited material reviewed by the newspaper, a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the president’s travel. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the report. The White House did not respond directly to questions about the Post report of the secret operation to whisk Trump out of the country on a third aircraft, or the reported elaborate ruse to make it appear he was on the baby blue Air Force One jet flying to Mildenhall. Trump pivots back to sanctions for Iran as other strategies to end his war fizzle The Trump administration is hoping that months of bombing have pushed Iran’s economy to a breaking point that will force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers. The president on Monday said that since Iran is seeking compensation as part of any peace talks, he now intends to demand the same for the U.S. side. It’s part of a larger pivot this weekend by Trump to argue that Iran is now on the cusp of financially collapsing, even though it has already endured decades of financial sanctions, which are often a longer-term strategy rather than an immediate tool of warfare that can halt a conflict. The shift comes as U.S. stockpiles of key weapons have dwindled and as stop-start talks seem again to have stalled. But Trump insists the pressure can lead to a breakthrough.
3 warning signs Putin is plotting shift in Ukraine war
Close to four and a half years into the war in Ukraine, Russia is under pressure from dogged Ukrainian strikes on oil and commercial sites and stalled progress on the battlefields snaking through the east of the country. But Moscow is stepping up its missile campaign against Ukraine's major cities, surging production of its most effective long-range weapons and eyeing up new soldiers—including tens of thousands more North Korean recruits—for its ranks, according to Ukrainian officials. These are signs, some say, Russia may be planning a new, intensified phase of the long-running war or some form of escalation to the conflict. Ahead of Russia's looming parliamentary elections — the first since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 — Russian leader Vladimir Putin "needs escalation" to reimpress the image of control, said Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee. "The front is advancing slowly, but the resources for escalation are available," said Ukrainian lawmaker Oleg Dunda. With the U.S. tied up in the Middle East and Ukraine's key supporters in Europe slow to move, Moscow sees "a window of opportunity," he told Newsweek. Others say he's likely to hold off until after the September vote. While Russia is "undoubtedly" preparing to escalate the war in some way, this isn't a guarantee the Kremlin would commit to ramping up the conflict once the elections are out the way, said Emily Ferris, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London, U.K. "Is Russia capable? Of course," she told Newsweek. But it all depends on whether Russia feels it can achieve a specific goal, including seizing all of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, said Ferris. What Could Escalation Look Like? Experts and Ukrainian officials lay out a few scenarios for how Russia could escalate the war. These range from very unlikely scenarios—like deploying tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield—to options the Kremlin would be keen to avoid, like drafting hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens into the military to mount a push for territory in eastern Ukraine. The most reasonable, many say, is that Russia hammers Ukraine's critical infrastructure with even more long-range strikes. "It's on the cards," said Ferris. Missile Strikes, and Production, Surge Russia launched nearly 200 ballistic and hypersonic missiles at Ukraine in July alone, which is the highest number so far this year, Major General Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy chief of Kyiv's GUR military intelligence agency, told the RBC Ukraine outlet in an interview published on Monday. Ballistic and hypersonic missiles are the hardest for Ukraine to intercept, particularly now the country is starved of the advanced air defenses needed to shoot them down. Ballistic missiles are often difficult for air defense systems to intercept because they travel much faster than cruise missiles or drones. They follow less predictable trajectories and fly much higher, plunging almost vertically toward their targets so air defenses have less time to react. Hypersonic missiles travel at above five times the speed of sound. Kyiv has intercepted just eight of 92 Russian missile strikes of all types so far in August. Ukrainian authorities said over the weekend Russia is planning a large strike campaign on Kyiv in the next few weeks, using ballistic missiles to afflict maximum possible damage on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which has already been pummeled by Russian attacks. Analysts quickly said a fresh strike campaign before the end of the summer would be designed to take advantage of Ukraine's painful shortages of interceptor missiles, which ground-based systems fire to hit fast-traveling missiles. And Russia is now exceeding its monthly production targets for certain types of missiles, Skibitsky said. Moscow has surpassed its production targets for its Kh-101 missiles, as well as its Kalibr cruise missiles, the intelligence deputy chief added. Moscow manufactured double the projected amount of Kh-35 cruise missiles, he added. Russia has already managed to churn out all the Zircon hypersonic missiles it planned to produce this year, according to Skibitsky. Once Russia determines which of its weapons slip past Ukraine's air defenses, he added, the Kremlin hurries their production. North Korean Soldier Deployments Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Sunday that up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers could be deployed to Russian territory, a sharp increase from his estimate last month of an additional 30,000 troops heading to Russian soil from the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang sent an estimated 14,000 troops to Russia in 2024 as Moscow battled a shock incursion by Ukrainian forces into the western Kursk region, which was ultimately defeated with the help of North Korean soldiers by March 2025. Moscow and Pyongyang have publicly confirmed North Korean soldiers were sent to fight in Russia, and North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, was filmed paying tribute to slain troops in July last year. Several thousand North Korean soldiers have been killed, according to South Korean politicians. The deployment followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the North Korean capital in June 2024 and the signing of a strategic partnership between the two countries. North Korea has provided Russia not just with troops, but artillery shells and ballistic missiles, according to Ukrainian, South Korean and Western assessments. Ukraine said in late July that Russia had launched a North Korean missile at a residential building in central Ukraine, killing at least five people in the same family. A North Korean missile unit, which could be used for ballistic missile strikes against Ukraine, has started to move to western Russia, an anonymous official in Ukrainian military intelligence told Reuters earlier this month. In exchange, analysts say Pyongyang is gaining battlefield experience it could use against South Korea, a major U.S. ally, as well as help with its burgeoning nuclear weapons program and vital aid lifelines. "If we are talking about crises and escalation in another region—in the Pacific—which could pose a threat to other Asian countries, then North Korea will certainly gain experience in modern warfare under Russia," Zelensky said. Mobilization Rumors The additional tens of thousands of troops would bolster the Russian military as it wrangles with how to keep their ranks full while casualty rates remain so high. Putin is preparing to call up as many as 500,000 people for military service this fall, Zelensky said last month. A new wave of mobilization would be a sign of the strain the war has placed on Russia, and would risk stoking anger in a Russian population increasingly feeling the impact of the conflict because of Kyiv's dogged strikes deep into Russian territory. When Putin called up 300,000 reservists in fall 2022, protests broke out across Russia and tens of thousands of people fled the country to avoid serving in the military. Hundreds of thousands of additional troops would be important in any new major offensive in the coming months. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Cristina Diciu.
3 warning signs Putin is plotting shift in Ukraine war
3 warning signs Putin is plotting shift in Ukraine war