Israel says Gaza drone strike targeted a Hamas commander, and other
developments in the Mideast
[August 13, 2026]
The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas commander Wednesday in
northern Gaza using a targeted drone strike despite pressure to halt
such attacks from officials overseeing peace efforts.
Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider
Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Israel says it struck a Hamas commander, but unclear if he was
killed
An Israeli drone strike hit a man in the city of Beit Lahiya who was
described by Israel’s military as a Hamas commander. It was the first
targeted strike Israel has announced since Aug. 3.
Targeted strikes have come under closer scrutiny since U.S. President
Donald Trump announced a deal aimed at advancing peace efforts in Gaza
that would include halting such strikes.
Though Hamas accepted the plan to decommission its weapons, Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected it earlier this week, saying
Hamas must fully disarm before Israel accepts the terms. Board of Peace
officials have urged Israel to stop the strikes as a way of moving the
deal forward.
The Israeli military did not provide details about the man targeted or
say whether he was killed. Officials at Shifa and Nasser hospitals said
four injured people were brought in Wednesday.
The Health Ministry in Gaza has reported 45 people killed since Aug. 1.
Three Pakistanis among the dead in Houthi attack on ship
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday condemned an attack
by Houthi rebels on a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying three
Pakistanis were killed and another wounded. The attack Tuesday killed
six people total.
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran and a U.S.
blockade on Iranian ports, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea
and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip, which is an alternate
route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.
The attack came as part of a growing number of Houthi strikes against
government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi
Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping
in the Red Sea.
Trump insists blockade gives US control of Strait of Hormuz
Claiming the U.S. has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, President
Donald Trump said Wednesday: “I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!”
Trump’s social media post referred to the U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports.
A vital route for one-fifth of the world's traded oil before the war,
the strait has been largely closed to other traffic since the start of
the war because of Iran’s attacks on shipping.
Those attacks have continued despite the blockade and U.S. strikes.
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Palestinian children play in an open area at a makeshift camp for
displaced people in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Aug.
7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Iran has said the strait will only reopen if the U.S. meets a list
of demands, including lifting the blockade.
Pakistan presses to defuse tensions between US and Iran
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Iranian Ambassador Reza
Amiri Moghadam in Islamabad on Wednesday as Pakistan seeks to resume
peace negotiations between Iran and the U.S.
Their meeting came a day after Pakistan sent Interior Minister
Mohsin Naqvi to Tehran for talks with Iran’s top leaders.
An interim deal to end the fighting reached in mid-June is set to
expire Monday. The ceasefire collapsed last month as the U.S. and
Iran exchanged strikes over more than two weeks before pausing.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters
Wednesday the June deal remains valid and the deadline could be
extended.
“We are not closing the chapter,” Andrabi said.
Turkey condemns Colombia's recognition of Israeli sovereignty
over the Golan Heights
Turkey condemned the decision by Colombia's new government to
recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, calling it a
move to “legitimize Israel’s occupation” of the territory.
Colombia, shortly after the swearing-in of conservative Abelardo de
la Espriella as president on Friday, became just the second country
to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the territory, which Israel
captured during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981.
The United States was the first during Trump's first term, reversing
a longstanding U.S. policy.
The United Nations recognizes the territory as part of Syria.
Kuwaiti authorities thwart plot against unnamed facility
Kuwait's Interior Ministry said a “terrorist plot” against an
unspecified facility was thwarted Wednesday when a Kuwaiti citizen
affiliated with the Islamic State group was detained shortly before
carrying out his plan.
The ministry said the man had received training on making explosives
and activating drones to be used in the planned attack.
The ministry said a vital facility had been targeted but gave no
further details.
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