Israel’s military declared the Christian-majority town of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank a closed military zone on Monday. This move aims to keep out Israeli settlers and other non-residents from the Palestinian community. Taybeh finds itself encircled by illegal settlements to both its east and west, a stark reality of ongoing land theft.
For months, the town has endured a relentless campaign of arson, vandalism, and incursions by settlers onto private and village property. Residents have reported these attacks consistently. The military order, however, doesn't apply to Palestinian residents or journalists, who are permitted entry unless soldiers determine their presence poses a threat. Troops, the army stated, would detain suspects and disperse gatherings to "keep the peace."
This designation follows a period where Israeli army and police forces have struggled to maintain order across the occupied territory. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry reports a grim statistic: at least 87 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers in 2026 alone. Parts of Taybeh fall within Area B, where Israel maintains security control. Yet, residents frequently complain about the slow response of the army and police to attacks perpetrated by extremist settlers.
The Regional Front and U.S. Complicity
Meanwhile, regional tensions continue to escalate. Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that the Strait of Hormuz won't reopen until the United States meets its conditions. President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized the supreme leader’s call for "unity and cohesion" as Iran grapples with severe economic hardships and sanctions stemming from its conflict with the United States. Pezeshkian described a nearly seven-hour meeting with Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader. They discussed "people’s livelihoods, the state of the market, employment, people’s housing," alongside "problems that are now being created as a result of the (U.S.) sanctions."
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed in March following a U.S.-Israeli strike that killed his father. He was believed to have been wounded in that same attack; he hasn't appeared publicly since. Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, articulated Iran's demands. The U.S. must end its blockade, provide compensation for months of war damage, lift economic sanctions, and release Iran’s frozen assets. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies, remains the conflict’s most enduring consequence.
Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran's new supreme leader, was appointed to head the Supreme National Security Council just one day ago. Rezaei, a 71-year-old hardliner, commanded Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard from 1981 to 1997. Last week, he threatened American forces with "serious risks and casualties" if the U.S. didn't lift its blockade of Iranian ports. The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think-tank, suggests Rezaei is willing to negotiate with the U.S. to "secure Iran’s maximalist aims, including control of the Strait of Hormuz." However, he remains "unwilling to present any Iranian concessions."
Yemen's Escalating Crisis
In Yemen, the U.N. envoy Hans Grundberg issued a stark warning: the country faces a greater risk of renewed large-scale conflict than at any point since the U.N.-brokered truce of April 2022. This escalation, he cautioned, risks "jeopardizing the gains of the 2022 truce ... while also drawing the country into a broader regional confrontation, with devastating consequences for its people."
The latest spiral of violence began less than one month ago, on July 13. A Saudi airstrike struck the runway of Sanaa airport, Yemen’s capital. This prevented the landing of an Iranian flight carrying a high-ranking Houthi delegation. The Houthis had attempted to fly the plane without prior permission from the Saudi-led coalition, a requirement in the decade-long war. This was, the AP described, an effort to establish a new reality and challenge the coalition’s control over Yemeni airspace. Yasmeen al-Eryani, an analyst at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, views the Mahan Air flight saga as part of Iran’s broader escalation. She signals that "attacks on Iran can produce costs elsewhere, particularly for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf."
Following the Sanaa airport strike, Houthi forces attacked Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia. They also declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea. They targeted Saudi vessels and oil facilities within the kingdom, further disrupting the global economy. The Saudi-led coalition responded with strikes on Hodeida and Kamaran, Yemen’s largest island in the Red Sea. They reinforced Yemeni troops along front lines to launch a ground offensive. In anticipation of this offensive, the rebels launched dozens of missiles and drones on military camps in central and southern Yemen, killing dozens of troops and civilians. On Sunday, Houthi rebels attacked the government-held Red Sea port town of Mokha, killing seven people and injuring 30. This attack was part of one of the largest waves of Houthi strikes on Yemeni military positions and Saudi-backed government areas since the 2022 truce.